


The Uncontrollable and the Impossible

by DeathByVerbicide



Category: The Flash (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash (TV 2014) RPF
Genre: F/M, Murder, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-24 15:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 89,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7513000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByVerbicide/pseuds/DeathByVerbicide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A brilliant new scientist with a mysterious past joins STAR Labs. However, her life takes a dark turn after she begins to investigate further into the secrets of Central City, Harrison Wells, STAR Labs, and the friendly but distant Barry Allen - and discovers the truth about her past. Things get worse when she learns that the Reverse Flash wants her, and the Flash, dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Central City

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I started drafting and writing this story before Season 2 began, but unfortunately did not have the means to publish the story until late January 2016. By then, Season 2 was in full swing, and so was my college life, so by the time I caught up with Season 2, I realized that there are a LOT of parallels and coincidences between what happens in my fanfic, and what happens in the show :(**

**All I'm saying is - everything you read is my own work. The storyline, the OC's, their abilities and what happens to them - everything save for the original settings of Central City/Starling City/Gotham, and the original DC characters - are mine. I had this story written long before I found this site and began publishing it, which is also before the start of Season 2.**

**Regardless, I hope you enjoy what I have in store, and I thank you for taking the time to read my story :)))**

* * *

If there is anything I have learned in my life, it's that one should always be prepared for the unexpected.

Nothing momentous will ever go as planned. You'll have one goal in mind, one that you'll do anything to achieve. You'll fight, you'll struggle, you'll never give up. You will sleep in the shadow of your hopes and dreams at night, and live to accomplish them by day. But when something throws you off, when an obstacle embeds itself in your path, when something impossible surprises you and has the potential to destroy everything you've ever worked for, everything you've ever known, your reaction and mindset towards it will have a powerful influence over what that certain obstacle will do to you. The best thing to do is to try and overcome it using your own strength and courage without giving up, depending on others if necessary.

But when you give in and accept defeat, then you have truly lost all hope.

###

At the current moment, I was debating over whether or not I was fully prepared for my job interview this morning.

Roughly three months before I would have completed my undergraduate studies and receive my degrees, I had received an email from someone named Caitlin Snow that not only congratulated me on behalf of my "incoming momentous achievement," but also inquired as to whether or not I would be interested in visiting her in Central City, and being interviewed for a position at the lab facility where she worked. Snow said that her own employer had been on the lookout for new recruits who would be willing to work at their prestigious, albeit very exclusive, private research lab, and that I had stood out to her employer as the most promising, and I was asked to come right away. I saw it as a probable opportunity to start working early right after college ended, and accepted her offer. Her email was soon followed by the arrival of paid plane tickets to Central City in the mail, along with keys to a hotel room booked for the afternoon right after I would graduate.

Well then, I had thought, whoever she was and whoever she was working for - they were prompt.

Having checked in to the Central City Grand Hotel only a few hours earlier this morning, I barely had any time to organize my few belongings in my room before the interview. I hurriedly showered and dressed into a bland floral blouse and a black pantsuit, and retrieved from my laptop bag a portfolio which contained several copies of my resume, thesis, research notes, and any other works I thought would be worth showing my potential employer. I slipped my feet into a pair of dress shoes, grabbed my wallet and phone, and I was off.

The address Snow had left in her email led me to a huge dark building with glass panels circling outwards, and several power auxiliary towers leaning above the uniquely structured building below. A sign at the entrance read, in plain, lit lettering:

**Scientific and Technology Advanced Research Labs**

Wait, I thought, pausing to look at the sign again.

Scientific and Technology Advanced Research Labs? As in, STAR Labs? _The_ STAR Labs? The world-reknown facility established by the lengendary Dr. Harrison Wells, the mastermind behind the particle accelerator?

 _I_ was being recruited to STAR Labs - one of the greatest private research institutes in the country, possibly the world? Oh god...

" _My employer was greatly interested in hiring you to come work as a physicist at his private laboratory, located in Central City..._ "

_Private laboratory._

_Central City._

How could I have been so stupid as to not put the two terms together? How on Earth did I miss this? The realization that I was going to be interviewed by STAR Labs, the fact that I didn't even _know_ I was going to be doing so, and the fact that I didn't even prepare for this interview properly did a rather excellent job of turning my stomach.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the revolving door, and entered the building. The entrance opened up to a tunnel-like walkway lined with dark walls that curved to the right. I imagined it was similar to walking inside a black, sharp-edged spiral seashell. I continued walking until, a few feet before I arrived at my destination, I heard voices arguing. Against my own will, I paused in the hallway and listened.

"I'm sorry. There was nothing I could've done about it," a young man protested.

"Mr. Allen, we will discuss your failure later. Right now, I've got other priorities at hand. You should have known better than to be foolish in a moment as critical as that one," an older man replied, clearly disappointed.

"Look, you've got to believe me. I couldn't have -"

"Hey guys, if you don't mind, she's almost here," a third male voice warned. The two arguing voices silenced themselves. I heard someone - a woman, it seemed - sigh.

I took it as my cue to proceed into a circular room, where I saw four people before me, two standing, one leaning against the wall in the shadows behind them, with the last seated in a motorized wheelchair.

"Hi. I'm here for an interview?" I asked, keeping my voice clipped and polite.

"You must be Artemis Van Kleiss. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," said a chirpy, young woman only a few years older than me. She was pretty, with light, cool makeup, kind eyes and sleek brown hair, and wore a business-style dress under a lab coat, holding a clipboard in one hand. The other hand was held out towards me, open for a handshake.

"I've heard a lot of good things about you. I'm Caitlin Snow. I'm the one who reached out to you."

I smiled at her and shook her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Snow," I said, adding a smile. I turned to the Hispanic man standing beside her, with shoulder-length black hair and a big smile. He was wearing a graphic shirt with jeans, and was also holding out a hand to greet me.

"My name's Francisco Ramon, but you can just call me Cisco," he said calmly, "I'm a mechanical engineer here."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Cisco," I said, shaking his hand.

I turned to the figure seated in the wheelchair. He was a man of about 50 or 60, but looked young for his age. He was wearing a plain black sweater with dark jeans, and had a pair of Ray Bans prescription glasses resting on his nose. His head was covered with tufts of short, wispy black hair. He studied me with harsh, blue eyes.

I had seen those features pictured so many times before in newspaper articles, on TV, and once on a poster in my college dorm. During my freshman year, he was a guest speaker at our school to discuss the importance of the particle accelerator and renewable, clean energy.

He had been a close friend of my parents, and I could barely control my excitement.

"Oh god - Dr. Harrison Wells! It is such an honor to meet you - to see you again!" I had not known I would be meeting the great scientist in person. I stepped forward and shook his hand as well.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, it's great to have finally met you as well, after all these years. I've been keeping up to date with how you've been," he said, removing his glasses and wiping the lens with the hem of his shirt. He replaced his glasses, and look back at me, and smiled, "I apologize for calling you over so quickly after your graduation, but distinguished scientists such as ourselves don't seem to get breaks, now, do we? May I ask what you thought of your experience at MIT?"

Was this part of the interview? I sure hoped not...

"Oh - it was what I expected it to be. Lots of studying, lots of science, lots of lab work. Pretty educational. It was alright. I actually enjoyed it very much."

I cringed.

Barely three minutes in, and I was already sounding like an idiot in front of one of the greatest physicists to ever exist.

Dr. Wells chuckled.

"Oh dear. That must be the biggest understatement of the year. You double majored in biochemical engineering and applied physics, and yet managed to graduate within three years, summa cum laude, no less. You're #4 on NationFirst's annual 'Top 100 College Students to Look Out For' article. You were one of two recipients of the Simiens Aware for Advanced Placement out of everyone in the entire country, despite not having a home for a good duration of your pre-college academic career. You lost both of your parents at a very young age, something most children _never_ seem to get past, and yet you've done truly amazing things in your life of 21 years that most adults don't accomplish by the time they die. _'Alright'_ is quite the misnomer here."

Umm... Did one of my idols just praise me? When I blurted out an idiot answer? He was impressed?

Not bad... _  
_

Caitlin, who had been scribbling notes on the clipboard she was holding, stopped and looked up.

"Wait... Dr. Wells, did you say she didn't have a home?" She asked in quiet astonishment, "You - you were homeless?"

 _That_ was taken out of context fast.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks, and found myself unable to make eye contact with her out of embarrassment.

My past had been no less than difficult, and people always tended to ask about it as if I shouldn't have survived it.

"No, not homeless. I'd been placed in several foster homes after the death of my parents when I was six years old, but I found myself running away a lot, only to be placed in another. At some point, my father's lawyer forced me to get my act together and kept a strict watch over me during high school."

"Your parents died when you were six?" she asked softly, shock still brimming her tone.

"Yes." I couldn't hide my discomfort, and bit my bottom lip nervously.

I wasn't exactly prepared to share details of my past with people I didn't know. Caitlin must have noticed my uneasiness, because she finally looked away from me and went back to her clipboard. I could tell she felt bad. I didn't blame her.

"Well, we're really glad to have you regardless of how you got here. It can't hurt to have a scientist by the name of Van Kleiss here, can it?" Cisco stated, with a reassuring laugh. He was trying to break the tension in the room. I appreciated it, and smiled at him.

"Would you happen to be related to Dr. Laurus Van Kleiss in any way? That surname is unbelievably uncommon."

"Oh, uhh, yeah, I am," I looked away, again. I a _lways_ got this question. I cursed under my breath, put my smile back on, and faced the team.

"I'm his daughter."

Caitlin and Cisco definitely seemed taken aback by my response. Even the shady guy standing in the shadows with his arms crossed seemed surprised. Dr. Wells smiled his harsh smile in the general direction they were standing in, without looking directly at any one of them.

"Surely you two recall the unsolved murders of Laurus and Ariadne Van Kleiss? Yes, you both were young when it happened, but the story made international news, for Christ's sake," Wells' muttered, his steady voice slowly becoming enraged, "The girl just mentioned the death of her parents moments ago. It's not everyday I hire someone. I would have expected my only two scientists to have read up on their new colleague before meeting her instead of asking her uncomfortable questions and giving her a distasteful first impression of our lab. _Absolutely_ disgraceful."

He turned to me.

"I'm truly very sorry for making you go through this, Ms. Van Kleiss. I had not expected our first meeting to be executed so poorly, and so awkwardly. I solemnly apologize on behalf of my associates."

Caitlin and Cisco both wore faces of shame and embarrassment.

"Oh, it's not an issue, Dr. Wells. I don't mind. I -"

"Ms. Van Kleiss, I appreciate your consideration, but my associates - and your potential teammates - ought to know how to show respect. Are you two just going to stand there and hang your heads or will you actually apologize for your foolishness?" Wells barked.

Caitlin and Cisco both made brief eye contact with me and murmured apologies. I assured them it wasn't an issue.

"Now then, Ms. Van Kleiss, you'll be working with Caitlin, our lab geneticist, and Cisco, our mechanical engineer, to help create technology that can be used by the CCPD to keep this city safer. Your knowledge of physics, and your engineering expertise along with its biological and chemical applications, will be key to my lab. You mentioned earlier that you were here for an interview. I was wrong to call it that."

"I'm not here for an interview?" I asked in confusion.

Dr. Wells chuckled lightly.

"No. You, of all people, do not need to be interviewed. The world has seen what you can do, what you're capable of. In all the years that I have been a scientist, I can confidently say I have never seen anyone with so much promise, with such sharp intelligence. Never have you allowed your struggles to weigh you down," he explained, smiling kindly.

"I think you'll enjoy working at my lab. You'll have full access to the facility, and whatever means you need to accomplish your task - I will always support it. This was never an interview, Ms. Van Kleiss. I see you've brought files that no doubt containing your resume and work you've done at MIT and beyond. I don't need to see it. Your thesis on the molecular applications of the _ecfrenatus_ particle was absolutely groundbreaking. You've done more than enough to emphasize your expertise in science, Ms. Van Kleiss. The job is, and always has been, yours. Whether you accept it or not is your decision."

My heart skipped a beat. I was at a loss for words.

His praise was addicting, and he was so kind and supportive, and this lab - it was just so _stunning._

"You only have two staff members?" I asked, suddenly noticing how empty the giant facility was. With such a famous name, I had expected there to be full company.

"No. I prefer to keep a small circle. The workload can be rather tremendous, but Caitlin, Cisco, and yourself are more than qualified for the job. Your passion for science is strong. Your work is a reward in and of itself."

"No kidding." I said, with a smile, and helped myself to a look around the facility.

I finally acknowledged the man standing behind the trio, leaning against the back wall. He was wearing a brown coat with a green plaid shirt under, paired with jeans. His brown hair was loosely slicked back, and I could tell by how his green eyes were staring at nowhere in particular that he was deep in thought, unimpressed with the conversation happening before him.

He couldn't have been any older than Caitlin and Cisco. He had been silent throughout my entire visit here.

He must have been the one I heard arguing with Dr. Wells before I entered the room. He finally made eye contact with me.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously. The figure looked at me and straightened his posture, standing at his full height. Even at a few feet away, I could tell he was at least a whole head or so taller than me. Heck, he was the tallest one in the room. He stepped forward.

"My name is Barry Allen. I'm a forensic scientist working with the CCPD. I report to STAR Labs when we need tech to take down metahumans." His voice trailed off as he completed his statement. Clearly, he was _not_ interested in conversing with me.

"Meta - what?"

"Metahumans. Ten months ago, Dr. Wells' particle accelerator exploded, and released a dark matter shock wave that traveled in a fifty mile radius, covering almost the entire city. Most people went unaffected. However, the small portion of the population that _was_ ended up developing inhuman abilities that, unfortunately, they are not able to control, which causes them to become a threat to our city. The technology produced here is used to stop them, which is why your work here has the power to save the city," he explained, with reluctance in his voice.

I had heard of the particle accelerator's explosion, and knew it was a huge tragedy for the city - but I had presumed it was nothing more than a technical malfunction which costed a good amount of money. I didn't know it biologically affected humans.

This town was cursed with the effects of nuclear fallout with m _etahumans._ It felt like something out of a sci-fi movie.

"Wow. That's incredible."

STAR Labs, it seemed, had so much more going on than it let the world see. I could tell this would be one extremely promising opportunity. Inventing technology that would be put to use right before our lives, working alongside the great Dr. Harrison Wells. Heck, working with Dr. Wells - no, _him_ asking _you_ to work for him - was more than enough reason to work here.

"Dr. Wells, I accept your offer. It would be of the highest honor to contribute to the amazing work you're doing here."

Wells beamed. Cisco cheered and high-fived Caitlin, who was also smiling at me.

"Yessss, we've got ourselves a new recruit!" Cisco hailed. Clearly, he was the friendliest one here, "Welcome to STAR Labs, Artemis!"

"Thank you, Ms. Van Kleiss. Trust me, it's a bigger honor for _me_ to able to work with _you,"_ Dr. Wells remarked, _"_ Your father was a good friend of mine. It will be nice to work with him again, in a sense. Come see me again tomorrow morning, and we'll further discuss your onboarding."

I smiled and thanked him yet again.

"Now, if any of you need me, I'll be in my office. Mr. Allen - a word with you, please?" He asked sternly, focused his attention on the tall guy but maneuvered his wheelchair so it faced a room by the left wall, clearly indicating for Barry to follow him. A cell phone went off somewhere in the room. Barry patted his pockets and retrieved a smartphone from his pocket, silencing it.

"Sorry, sir. Joe needs me. I'll be back before the end of the day, though," Barry apologized, looking to the man in the wheelchair for approval.

"Very well, Mr. Allen," and with that, Wells had wheeled himself away into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Barry replaced his phone in his coat pocket, gave Caitlin and Cisco a nod, then began to walk towards the tunnel hallway to leave. He stopped for a second when he reached me, and held out his hand.

"Congrats on joining STAR Labs, Artemis." he said with a half-hearted smile.

I attempted a grin, and reached out to shake his hand, before a strong static shock was emitted from his skin and pierced into my palm.

I flinched, and clutched my hand.

"Umm," Barry regarded with confused concern,"Are you alright?"

Judging by the easiness in Barry's voice, I doubt he felt what I just felt.

Did I imagine the tiny jolt of electricity?

It certainly didn't feel that way - it must've just been a little static electricity.

"No, no," I answered easily, quickly shaking his hand and forcing a smile, "Just static, that's all."

Barry gave me a strange look, and pressed his lips in a contrite smile, before turning and walking down the hallway.

I looked back at Cisco and Caitlin, both of whom wore scared looks on their faces, studying my reaction.

"I - Artemis, is everything okay? You seem shaken," Caitlin implored with a nervous laugh. I cleared my throat to eliminate any fear that would otherwise show itself in my voice.

"Nothing. I ... just can't believe I made it here. That's all." My voice was still shaking.

I chastised myself under my breath.

Cut it out, cut it out, _cut it out._ You don't want your new coworkers to think you're a sociopath who has never shaken a hand before. I took a small breath and tried to smile at them confidently. They bought it. Cisco gave me an approving smile. The worry in Caitlin's eyes seemed to melt.

"Well, we're all really glad to have you here. It's been a while since we had the chance to work with someone other than just the three of us. I hope you'll really enjoy it here," Cisco assured, giving me a kind grin as he casually stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Why? What happened to the other scientists here?"

Dammit, the fear was creeping its way back into my voice. Something was terribly offset here, and these people were doing a good job of covering it. Why did my hand feel so numbed, so shocked when it came into contact with Barry Allen's? Was it related to the reason why Wells was yelling at Barry before I arrived? Was he one of those _metahumans_?

What on _earth_ was happening here?

"Oh, well... They were kind of vaporized into oblivion when the particle accelerator blew up... Come on, I'll walk you out."


	2. Bernie Allen

I met up with Dr. Wells the next morning to discuss my commencement at STAR Labs as he had asked, and we worked out the details of my incoming move to the city.

I took a seat on one of the chairs in front of his messy desk.

For such a large work area, it was rather dimly lit. The only light was from a dusty desk lamp on the front desk and the screensaver of the monitor on one of the other desks at the right wall.

There was another desk at the left wall, and a clear chalkboard in the back of the room. All three desks were littered with papers, notebooks, charts, blueprints and other various diagrams, and a thousand pencils and pens in total. The left desk also held miniature models of several of Dr. Wells' inventions, including one which I recognized to be the famed particle accelerator. The right desk held what looked like broken futuristic weapons, with a chart at the top that read "HOW TO SAFELY WEAKEN METAHUMANS" and had several crossed out drawings of various types of guns and military-esque machinery.

"Now, then, Ms. Van Kleiss, I trust you're enjoying your stay here?" Wells asked, moving a huge mound of paperwork off of the center of his desk to make space. He pulled out an aged red journal and opened it to a fresh page, which he marked with a date and titled "List for Artemis."

"Yes. So far, I really do admire Central City. It's even better than how it's described in the news and on the internet."

My first impression of the city was that it was _clean_. Not a speck of grease or dirt anywhere. And the people seemed extremely amiable too - smiling families and groups of friends were seen walking down every sidewalk. The roads were lined with business buildings, several kinds of restaurants, shops, and many, many parks. The city seemed safe, and it was already beginning to seem like the perfect place to live.

It _hardly_ resembled a town ravaged by nuclear fallout.

Wells gave a kind laugh in response to my words.

"That's good to hear. We want you to work with us for a very long time. You have a lot to offer. But first, let's get you started. When would you like to move to the city and begin working?"

"Actually, I can start working whenever you need me to. I've been looking forward to this job for quite some time and didn't really planned for anything else. I could actually come on down by next week, if you'd really like."

Wells smiled in amazement.

"Really? Wow, that's music to my ears. We've got everything set up for you here, other than your living requirements. Any particular conditions or preferences, as to where you'd like to live?"

Conditions and preferences? Where I'd like to live?

Why would my employer be asking me about those kinds of things?

"Um, I'll most likely be getting an apartment."

"Any particular area in the city you'd prefer?"

"Someplace not too far from the lab and not too far from the downtown area would be fine. I don't own a car yet, so I'll suffice on foot or by bus so far," I answered, slightly confused.

Wells's eyes twinkled fondly.

"Well, you won't believe how fast this place will grow on you. Things start looking up pretty quickly around here. I promise you you'll find yourself adjusting after a small period of time."

He maneuvered his wheelchair to the computer on the desk by the right wall, and shook the mouse to wake his computer up from sleep mode. He started typing something into a search engine and called me over when he received results.

"Would this do? This is the Cloverleaf Apartment Complex. They lease town-homes as well, if you're interested. The apartments and town-homes both are some of the most luxurious ones in the city, with fair proximity to both the lab and downtown as well. As an added bonus, it's a gated community and is in the safest area of the city. I think you'll like it here. Caitlin and Cisco live here too. You won't be far from them." He clicked through photos of the apartment homes, with shots of the gorgeous surrounding community as well.

"Oh, I -"

"Trust me, this is where you would want to live when you move here. When I first got here, I lived in a shack in the South District with no electricity and on/off plumbing. For a newbie, this is as good as it gets," he said with a light laugh, "I'll have an apartment leased for you before you arrive next week."

He reached over and began jotting notes down in the open notebook on the other desk.

What?! He was _leasing_ me my own place?

Most employers force you to shell out on your own.

"Oh wow, thank you, Dr. Wells. This is so kind of -"

"Will you require a moving van? For your furniture and other items?"

"I - no, sir." I said, surprised at the realization that I would not have much to move into my new home.

I had literally just graduated college the day before yesterday. The years before, I was moved from foster home to foster home. I didn't _own_ furniture.

"Ms. Van Kleiss?" Wells's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "How will you transport all of your belongings?" he asked with shock.

"Suitcases?" I replied, nervously, hoping he'd buy it. He skeptically studied me for a moment, then turned a bit pitiful.

"Oh - I see. You've been living in dormitories for most of your life, what with college and all. Don't worry. You can go with Caitlin or Cisco to pick some things out for yourself. I'll take care of the rest," he remarked matter-of-factly, scribbling more notes into the book.

"What? Dr. Wells, you don't need to do this for me! I can-"

"Ms. Van Kleiss, you're a very kind and considerate person. You've taken on well after your parents in that manner. Both were incredibly good-hearted and selfless people. But I need for you to keep your head in the game here at STAR Labs. I can't have you worrying about how you'll live, eat, and sleep in an apartment that doesn't have any furniture when I am more than capable of solving that issue for you," he said in a kind, but firm, tone.

He gave a light chuckle. "Consider it a gift on my behalf for you starting your work here so early."

I was left awe-struck.

"Sir, this means a lot to me. I can't thank you enough for going out of your way to do this for me." I sat back down in the chair on the other side of the desk.

Wells and I discussed a few more details of my moving before I thanked him and left the lab. We, or rather, he had successfully arranged where I would live, my finances, and had also gave me a new healthcare provider as well as most of my insurance plans, and most importantly, signed my work contract - legally binding me to my new job. I hoped it wouldn't matter much - STAR Labs seemed like the best place on Earth to work. We had also discussed my salary. Wells, being the kind, sharp old man that he was, allowed for me to name my pay. I told him a starting salary would be more than sufficient.

Wells' idea of a starting salary?

A "mere" $180,000/year.

I left the lab feeling a bit ashamed that someone had to do so much for me. I promised myself I would work hard for him and actively contribute to make up for his excessive generosity, and also so he wouldn't feel that he was wasting his efforts and money on a disappointment. I would make him proud, and I would accomplish much here.

I was lost in thought as I was walking through the bustling downtown area to my hotel, when I heard someone call out my name from far away.

"Hey! Artemis!"

I stopped and looked around. Everyone around me was walking, minding their own business.

I didn't even know anyone here.

Who could've called for me?

"Over here!"

On the other side of the crosswalk stood a tall man with neat, copper-colored hair, wearing a brown overcoat with a white dress shirt and plain black tie under. It was the guy from yesterday who gave me the weird handshake - what was his name? Bertie?

He was smiling and gesturing me over.

Oh no, I thought. There is _no_ way I am going back to greet you.

He walked towards the crosswalk on the other side of the street, and when the signal opened, began strolling towards me. Without thinking, I joined the crowd of people crossing the street and began towards him.

 _No, no, no!_ My brain's alarm system went off, _You aren't supposed to walk towards the strange electric handshake guy! Turn around, turn around!_

But it was too late. The man had already reached me.

"Hey. I thought I had noticed you. How is everything?" he asked kindly, turning so we were both walking in the same direction - towards the sidewalk where he had been originally. Out of the corner of my eye, I was observing him skeptically to keep watch for any incoming strange behavior.

"I'm well! I just got back from STAR Labs. I was discussing my onboarding with Dr. Wells. How are you?"

We had crossed the road, and were working our way past a string of small restaurants, past the regular scramble of people who were also traveling by foot.

"I'm fine. I had the morning off. Caitlin, Cisco and I were just having breakfast. Have you eaten yet?" He asked with a warm, rather sunny smile, "You know, if you're going to live here, you _have_ to try out this coffee place. It'll blow your taste buds away."

He actually seemed kind of sweet. He was probably just in a bad mood yesterday, or I had to have imagined the jolt of energy weakening my hand, right? He was pretty cute, come to think of it.

_Snap out of it!_

"Oh - I - no, I haven't eaten yet, actually. Or, does half of a refrigerated bagel count?"

He gave a gentle laugh.

"No. You need something real to eat. Here, come with me. The coffee shop's right there." He gestured a long arm towards a restaurant a few feet away from us, and held the glass door, labelled _CC Jitters_ , open for me. I thanked him, and turned into the coffee shop. The walls were painted yellow, and the entire shop had a mellow vintage theme to it, creating a very calming atmosphere. I spied Caitlin and Cisco laughing, sitting together at a table for four. Both of them gave friendly smiles and waved to me when we made eye contact.

The man and I walked over to the counter and placed orders. The menu really did seem great, with various choices, each of which sounded great. I ordered a salad wrap and small coffee, and the man who came with me ordered chocolate chip cookies and a latte.

"That'll be $14.56," the barista read out in a New York accent. I scrammed to get my wallet out of my purse, when Bertie or Bernie or whoever he was had already swiped his credit card.

Amazing.

I didn't even know his name and he was paying for my breakfast.

"What? You didn't have to do that..." my protests went defeated as I watched him replace his card in a wallet that disappeared in a coat pocket.

"Not an issue. I brought you here - this is my treat," he answered calmly.

I followed him to another counter, where a different barista handed us our food, and we headed back towards the table where Caitlin and Cisco were seated.

"Wow. You really didn't need to do that," I attempted, feeling guilty for letting a stranger pay for my food.

"Hey, it's literally not a problem," he replied warmly, with a shy, encouraging smile, "Hope you'll enjoy your breakfast."

"Hey, I feel really bad for about this, but I don't actually remember your name?" I reluctantly admitted, as we seated ourselves at the table, "It's - you're Bernie, right?"

"Nope, it's Barry," he answered, disbelief tinging his smile, "That's actually the first time someone's mistaken me for Bernie, to be honest."

"Eek. Sorry, Barry," I murmured, before greeting my two future coworkers, "Hi guys."

"Bernie. That's dope." Cisco said with a nod. "Breakfast twice, Bernie?" he teased, as Barry helped himself to a cookie.

Barry shrugged in response.

"I ran into Artemis on my way to work, and she hadn't eaten so I thought she could join us," he said with cool confidence, "Besides, it's no fun being the only one eating and having everyone else watch you eat. It's creepy. I'm doing her a favor. Trust me."

"Uh-huh," Cisco snorted, smiling dubiously at his friend with an eyebrow raised, " _Totally_."

"Barry here's developing an addiction to the fresh-baked cookies. They're one of the recent additions to the menu." Caitlin explained as she snatched one of Barry's cookies and took a bite out of it. I laughed as Barry protested, despite having a cookie already in his mouth.

"Well, cookies and caffeine are a great way to start off the day," I offered, unwrapping my food.

"Says the one eating a salad wrap for breakfast," Cisco taunted playfully.

I gave him a wily smile and bit into my food. The tortilla wrap was warm and soft, and the vegetables were crispy and full of flavor. It tasted as if it was homemade, unlike the stale, flimsy wraps sold at other, more famous restaurants. Barry was right. This coffee shop _was_ great.

"Cisco, be nice. Those salad wraps are good stuff," Caitlin reprimanded gently. I continued eating in agreement.

Beside me, Barry gently wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a swig of his latte. I followed his example and took a sip of my coffee. It, too, tasted awesome. I immediately felt the caffeine kicking in and sharpening my senses.

"Have you two eaten yet?" I asked.

"Yeah, we were just discussing some work-related stuff before heading back to the lab," Cisco replied.

"Oh - I just got back from STAR Labs. Dr. Wells and I were working on my onboarding. I'm starting next week, actually."

"So soon? That's great!" Caitlin replied, "How did it go?"

"Oh my god - Dr. Wells is _too_ kind. He's leased me a home in a really nice apartment complex, and he's just going out of his way to arrange everything for my arrival. I'm just blown away by everything he's doing."

The trio smiled.

"Are you up at Cloverleaf?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Caitlin and I have apartments there as well. He set us over there too, when we got started. He's probably placing you near us so we can help you out if anything happens. But yeah, Cloverleaf is legit. We never moved out. You'll love it there."

"Yeah, I think Wells mentioned you two would be nearby."

I turned to Barry, who was listening to our conversation, having finished his cookies.

"Hey, I don't mean to pry, and I'm not the snoopy type, so you don't have to tell me, but does Dr. Wells yell at you guys a lot? He seemed pretty harsh yesterday, and it really wasn't that big of a deal."

"No, actually. He's never yelled at us before. He's actually an incredibly kind man" Cisco explained, "He's just been so worked up about having you, that it probably didn't seem too kind of us not to know who you are. He's been _obsessed_ about hiring you."

"Yeah... Sorry, again, for yesterday. I shouldn't have asked personal questions during your interview," Caitlin said, with earnest regret in her voice. She picked at her napkin.

"And I should have known better than to ask you if you were Dr. Van Kleiss' kid. Van _Kleiss!_ It's such an uncommon name, I really should have known." Cisco said, taking a deep breath, then turning to Caitlin, "I seriously can't believe we'll be working with Dr. Laurus Van Kleiss' daughter. That man is my _idol_. His work on artificial chemistry - it's something out of this _world!"_

"Well, again, it's no problem," I said with a smile, "If you've got any questions, feel free to ask."

The three of them fell silent, and I wanted to kick myself.

What kind of _idiot_ hosts a question-and-answer session for total strangers in the middle of their second meeting together?

Barry was the first to speak up after a moment of awkward silence.

"Were you really his daughter? I'm sorry - I didn't mean to ask it that way - I'm just so used to seeing that name in textbooks and on posters. It feels kind of surreal to have someone to close to him here with us."

Cisco and Caitlin relaxed.

"Did you want to see my birth certificate?" I joked.

Cisco held up a finger to silence us, and pulled out his phone, typing something in.

"The internet always has proof," he stated casually, before widening his eyes, "Caitlin, look! It _is_ her!"

Barry and Caitlin leaned in towards him to see, and he passed the phone around to them. I caught a glimpse of an image search of me and my parents, showcasing several family photos of myself with the iconic scientists, as well as other photos of me throughout my childhood. I felt slightly embarrassed.

"Oh snap - she's got a Gamer G Account," Cisco exclaimed, touching wildly at the screen of his phone, "Dayummmmm... You're a Level 246?! _Nice_."

"What, you've got one too?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. I'm sending you a friend request right as we speak."

I chuckled at his statement, and promised to send him one back.

"It's funny, really. You'll always hear about Laurus and Ariadne Van Kleiss, the two world famous physicists. You'll never hear that they...had a daughter." Barry commented.

"Yeah, well, they spent most of their lives studying a new element that they both discovered together. Their daughter wasn't quite as productive. I - they passed away before I could've joined them." .

Cisco looked away and pulled his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Caitlin's eyes fell to the table.

Dear god, I was an idiot.

Quick - say something to laugh it off.

"Besides, you usually only read about them in science textbooks or when you're studying their work. No scientist is _ever_ renowned for their work outside their fields. Einstein was an expert at the violin, and Tesla fed pigeons at the neighborhood park in his spare time. You don't hear much of _that_ , do you?" I added a laugh to sound casual, and my friends joined me with quiet smiles.

"So, enough about me. Tell me about yourselves. I literally just met all of you yesterday."

"Well, Caitlin here, as Dr. Wells said, is our geneticist. She runs tests and scans the DNA of our beloved metas, and then I work with her results to build really cool toys." Cisco declared.

"Yeah, but what she won't tell you is that she's _also_ a certified surgeon," Barry announced proudly, "Dr. Caitlin Snow, STAR Labs' very own M.D."

"Wow... Do you still practice? Surgeries and all that medical work?" I asked, "You work for the lab now - you must be more involved in genetic research than in medical practice, right?"

"Well, when it comes to metahumans," Caitlin murmured, "You never know what to expect. They can be ... dangerous."

"So you're, like, a doctor on standby in case anything goes wrong?"

Caitlin paused for a second before nodding her head.

"Are the regular hospitals here not suitable for taking patients who've been attacked by metas? Surely the people here _know_ about the metahumans, right? They're not, like, a secret hidden from society?"

"Well, sometimes a hospital isn't the best place to go to when..." Caitlin started, then quieted down, clearly unable to answer the question.

"Caitlin knows more about metahuman attacks than anyone else here. She's been studying them for months now. She's better prepared to handle those kinds of injuries than any other doctor," Barry answered, avoiding eye contact.

"And to answer your question, yes, the citizens here are aware that the particle accelerator's explosion had some severe side effects on the city itself. But the metahumans themselves are pretty rare here," Cisco said.

"Wait, so someone fill me in on metas. They're basically humans - but with unnatural abilities? I've actually never heard the term before until yesterday."

"Don't worry. I got you covered. I'll send you some of our notes, summaries and whatnot to give you a good idea of what its like encountering one. But yes, you're right. But that's where our science gets involved. We study them, take them down, we save the day, the city is safe." Cisco said, nonchalantly.

"You take them down? As in, action? Fighting?"

Wow, this job sounded pretty cool.

"Actually we let the police do that," Caitlin answered solemnly, "We're just the scientists behind the tech."

"Are all metahumans dangerous? Surely _some_ of them must be in their senses, have control over their abilities?" I asked, "I mean - dark matter radiation isn't proven to affect cognitive health, right?"

Cisco, Caitlin and Barry all looked at each other, before Cisco spoke up.

"We've... never actually seen or heard of anyone who could do that," he said quietly, exaggerating every word.

"Huh. That's interesting," I replied, turning to Barry, "So, Barry, you're not actually _involved_ at STAR Labs, right? You just send your findings to the Lab?"

"Yeah, basically. You won't believe how safe this city is. If someone is found mysteriously dead, we can only assume it was because of a metahuman. I'll just send the cases over to STAR Labs to see if they can help."

"You said metahuman attacks were rare? What do you all do in the meantime?"

"We, uhh, prepare? Work on other stuff Dr. Wells asks us to do?" Cisco responded. Before I could ask any other questions, I was interrupted by a waitress.

"Hi guys!" She chirped. I turned and saw an African American woman, with gorgeous almond-shaped eyes, a small, perky nose, and a beautiful, kind smile about her lips. Long, neat locks cascaded down her back. She was petite, and was wearing a black Jitters apron over a pretty green tunic and leather leggings. She was holding a tray of drink samples out to us.

The first thought that came to mind was: What's a supermodel doing, serving drinks?

"Hey, Iris," Cisco, Barry and Caitlin answered in unison.

"We're trying out new recipes for the menu," Iris intoned, "Care for some samples?"

"Oh, don't mind if we do!" Cisco reached over and helped himself to a cup holding what looked like a smoothie.

Barry and Caitlin did the same. I followed in their example. It tasted like a cross between bitter, frozen coffee and a fruit smoothie. I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. Judging by the strange looks on my friends' faces, I could tell their tastebuds were on the same boat.

"Oh god. Stick to the coffee," Barry uttered, putting his cup down, disgusted. Caitlin smiled nervously and silently nodded her head in agreement with Barry's words.

Cisco took another sip and shook the cup around, watching the contents swivel around inside.

"Tbh I think it's alright, just balance the flavors out better. It tastes like you put a cheesecake through a blender and tossed raw coffee beans in. I like the idea, but not the execution."

Iris smiled earnestly at him, then looked to me expectantly, surprising me. I had no idea I'd be expected to report on the drink as well.

"Uhh... I agree with Cisco. It could taste a little bit better. My mouth can't decide if I'm drinking a milkshake or a smoothie," I offered anxiously. Iris crinkled her eyebrows dejectedly, but the defeat melted away and she smiled back.

"Well, thanks, everyone! We really just cooked this up a few minutes ago." She paused for a second then looked at me, "I'm Iris West, by the way. Are you STAR Labs' newest recruit?"

"Yeah, I am, actually. The name's Artemis," I answered, surprised she had known about me. I reached my hand out to shake hers. She genuinely seemed like a kind, friendly person.

"Artemis. Very unique name. Us Greek goddesses gotta stick together, right?" she said with a wink.

Oh, right. Iris was the goddess of rainbows, I recalled.

"You bet! Thanks for the drinks, by the way. Did you make these?"

"Oh, no. I'm just working here as a part-time waitress. I'm really just doing this as a pasttime but I intern at the CCPN. Trying to land an actual job there," she explained with a roll of her eyes.

What was the CCPN, again?

"Oh? What are you trying to do there?"

"Journalism! I love writing! I'm just trying to get one of my articles into the newspaper. My editor is _not_ impressed with what I've got so far."

The newspaper! She must be talking about the Central City Picture News - I thought I had seen a vendor selling a stack of papers while walking through Downtown.

"Oh, wow. So, you're aiming to become a reporter, then?"

"Yeah! I'm currently interning with a Sports writer, but I'd really like to go freelance, hopefully into investigative journalism!"

"Wow. That's pretty amazing." I replied. I found myself genuinely wishing she'd land her job.

I could tell by the way she talked about it that this was something she was genuinely interested in, that she was truly enthusiastic about. She seemed like a _great_ person. Who wouldn't want for her to get what she deserved?

"Thanks! I'd love to catch up with you later - I've got to get the rest of these sad little guys out to everyone else here!," she said in her smooth, clear voice, gesturing her chin to the tray of smoothie/milkshake hybrids that she was holding, "It was great to meet you, Artemis! I hope we see each other again soon. Bye, guys!"

We all gave her our farewells, and I turned back to my companions.

"Wow, she seems wonderful!" I said, watching her deliver drinks to other customers, smiling that radiant smile at everyone she greeted.

"She is..." said a wistful voice behind me.

I turned to see Barry speaking, not moving his eyes away from her, resting his cheek in his hand. He had a sort of sad, yearning smile about his face. I looked at Barry, back at Iris, then back at Barry again.

Oh, I knew _exactly_ what was going on.

"So, uhh, Barry, are you into her?" I asked quietly, nodding my head towards Iris, hiding my dark smile. Cisco did a poor job of stifling back laughter.

"What? _No!"_ Barry protested, his cheeks flaring up with redness, "She's my sister!"

"Your _sister_?" I asked incredulously. I turned my head back to Iris.

She was of average height and thin build and had soft features, whereas he contrasted her, being tall and starkly gaunt in comparison. And, well, they were _obviously_ different races...

If she was his sister, then so was I.

I turned back to Barry and dramatically arched an eyebrow, demanding an explanation.

"I'm adopted." he admitted sheepishly.

I made a small show of shooting glances between Iris and Barry again, then lifted the remainder of my coffee to my lips before speaking.

"Well, I've seen plenty of siblings interact before, but I've never _quite_ seen someone look at their sister with _that_ kind of admiration," I asserted coolly, "But of course, that's none of _my_ business."

Caitlin chuckled out loud, hiding her smile behind her hand.

I caught him red-handed, or rather, red- _faced_.

Barry was blushing like mad, astonished at my inference. Cisco laughed openly now, slouching back in his chair.

"Oh, god, she's good. That was _smooth_. I'm gonna enjoy having her here." Cisco announced with a chuckle. Caitlin nodded her head.

Barry looked insulted, but amused.

"You - you just caught me off guard. I'll get back at you for that, you'll see," he responded. I giggled.

"I'm actually sorry. You'll find that I'm not the best person to be with in awkward situations. I can't help it. I just make things worse."

Barry turned to his friends.

"Is it _that_ obvious?" He demanded, annoyed. This clearly wasn't the first time someone caught his bluff about his little crush on his step-sister.

"Well, you don't always hide it as well as you should..." Caitlin conceded, smiling innocently.

Barry rolled his eyes and checked the time on his phone.

"Well... I gotta go. I'm going to be late. I'll see you two later." He rose to leave, then turned to me and patted my shoulder. "See you soon, Artemis. And welcome to Central City."

"Bye, Bernie," I quipped. He rolled his eyes at me and smiled, then left the restaurant.

"You two are going to get along _amazingly_ ," Cisco proclaimed. Caitlin laughed. I smiled at them.

"You're coming in next week? When will you be leaving to go back?" Caitlin asked.

"Tonight, actually. The flight back to Cambridge is at nine."

Cisco faced Caitlin, before looking to me again.

"Oh, we can drop you off at the airport," he suggested, "We'll be off by then."

"Thank you, but it's really not an issue. I'm a photon. I'm traveling light. A taxi will suffice, really."

Oh, not them _too_. Wasn't Wells doing enough for me?

"Oh, no. We insist. It's not everyday we get a new team member," Caitlin persisted, "We'll see you off."

"You're at the Central City Grand, right? We'll come get you," Cisco repeated.

"I - you guys don't have to! I don't want to be a burden."

"Shush, child. We'll come get you, and that's that," Cisco maintained, "We want you to feel welcome."

"You're going to make me feel welcome by walking me out of the city?" I questioned, giving him my signature eyebrow raise. Caitlin laughed. Cisco's protests were interrupted by their phones buzzing.

"An email from Wells..." Caitlin murmured, checking her phone. Cisco did the same.

"Oh - Wells asked me to fill you in on metahumans, send you some stuff. We already discussed that just now. I'll let him know I'm on it," Cisco mentioned, typing in a response.

"He wants me to take you to get some furniture." Caitlin mused, "Would you like to go today? I'm free after five."

"Uhh, yeah, I think today's the best option. Wells wants me settled in pretty much by the time I get here. If you could, that'd be really helpful."

Caitlin and I exchanged numbers, as did Cisco and I. We made plans to meet up later at 5:00, then Cisco and Caitlin excused themselves to go to work and left. Iris, too, was nowhere to be found, meaning I was alone.

I spent a majority of the rest of the day walking around the city, getting myself acquainted. I went back to the hotel for lunch, and spent the remainder of the afternoon in my room, packing up whatever I had left and watching TV. Around 5:00, I went back down to go wait for Caitlin, who said she'd pick me up in the lobby.

I waited for what seemed like centuries. I checked my phone. 5:27 p.m.

She must be busy? Or must have had more work to do than she expected?

I don't want to be the one to rush her, I thought. I've got plenty of time before the flight.

I waited some more.

I had sent her a text at some point while waiting. No response. The bellhops were beginning to eye me worryingly, and rushed other people back upstairs. One of them nervously confronted me.

"Ma'am? Are you waiting for someone? All persons are asked to be in their rooms."

"I'm not allowed to wait in the lobby?" I asked, confused and slightly ticked off.

"No - not at this moment. We're sorry. It's for your own safety. Please return to your room immediately."

I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I consented and went back to my room. I texted Caitlin telling her to let me know when she was outside. Still no response. I ate a bag of chips and continued my waiting. I checked the time on my phone again. 5:52 p. m. There was a limit to everything, I thought, unable to repress my irritation any longer.

I decided to call her. After three rings, she answered.

_(Oh my gosh - Artemis, I am SO sorry. I had full intentions to come get you, but got caught up with - umm - work! Something came up - and I can't exactly leave! I literally feel so terrible - this wasn't what I had intended at all for you. I am SO sorry!)_

She clearly seemed very worried.

Panic was brimming her voice - was she crying? I couldn't exactly tell. In the background, I could hear a man - Cisco or Dr. Wells, perhaps? - yelling.

"Oh - It's no worry. I had just been waiting for you, but it's fine." I tried to keep the disappointment from revealing itself. Whatever it was - Caitlin genuinely sounded worried about it. And no mere lab test would make anyone worry that much.

Something was _definitely_ wrong.

 _(Listen, I'm so sorry about not taking you out for this, but we're still going to drop you off at the airport. PLEASE don't leave without us! We're going to come get you, okay?)_ She promised, her voice full of anxiety - or was it fear?

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. But if you're late, I can't afford to wait for you. I can't miss this flight. If you're not here by seven, I'll have to go on my own." I said, hoping I didn't sound harsh.

Cisco shouted something to her. She repeated his words into her mouthpiece.

_(Artemis, no! You NEED to wait for us at the hotel. It's not a matter of dropping you off anymore. It's for your own safety. It's not safe to go out alone right now!)_

"Why? I've been exploring the city alone on my own _all_ day! Dr. Wells said this place was safe as could be! Barry did too! I really don't see why I need to wait for you. You told me you'd come get me now, and I ended up waiting for almost an hour." As angry as I was, I tried to keep my voice calm. "I can't afford to miss this flight, Cait. I can leave on my own. It's more than fine."

_(NO! Not now! Just listen to me - you can't go out! Stay in your hotel room! Don't worry about your flight - we'll get you plane tickets if you miss the departure! Just don't leave! Artemis, are you listening?)_

"No." I said, then hung up the phone, then stomped back to the elevator. It's one thing if you can't fulfill your obligations to someone. It's a completely different matter if you ask someone for help when you're capable of doing your work on your own, I thought.

I consented on purchasing my own furniture online and pulled out my laptop. I spent what was left of my time collecting $1,347 worth of furniture on an online website, then forwarded the list to Dr. Wells. I had no money, anyways. And he did say he'd hook me up. Then I dropped my laptop back in its case, picked up my carry-on, and left the room to leave for the airport.

The hotel, for the most part, seemed pretty quiet and empty. In fact, the only person I saw on my way out was an elderly cleaning maid who tried to stop me from leaving. She grabbed me by the arm, and shook her head at me half in tears.

" _¡Non si può lasciare!_ " she wailed.

"What? No hablo..."

 _"¡Non è sicuro fuori! ¡E pericoloso!"_ she began to cry and shake her head more violently towards me and began pulling me back into the lobby. I shook myself free of her iron grasp.

"No? Vas a ser bien..." I assured her, hoping the elementary Spanish I had learned so long ago would suffice. She shook her head at me again and pointed back towards the elevators.

"I'm sorry. I gotta go." I insisted, then pushed my way out of the revolving doors.

The street outside was eerily calm and silent. I couldn't see anyone or any sign of life.

No cars driving on the streets, either.

How was I supposed to hail a taxi to the Central City Airport if I couldn't get a taxi?

How did everyone disappear so soon?

I grumbled a curse and turned towards the other part of downtown in search of hope, which turned out to be just as abandoned. There was literally nobody _anywhere._

I finally spotted some people inside a Big Belly Burger restaurant. I tried to enter and ask for help, but the door was locked. I rapped my hand on the glass window and called out to the people inside.

"Hey? Can someone open the door for me? I need help!"

Nobody stood up. Several parents gave me looks of pity, while their children looked at me with worry and confusion. A baby began crying in a stroller and his mother rose immediately to quiet him.

"Hey! Please open the door for me! I need a taxi! I have a flight soon and I don't know how to reach the airport!"

Again, nobody shifted. A child bowed her head and began weeping quietly. Nobody was getting up to help me.

I suddenly noticed that everyone was sitting as far away from the doors and windows as possible. Some children were sitting underneath the tables. What was going on?

I decided to ask the police for help. I pulled out my phone and dialed 9-1-1.

 _(911, what's your emergency?)_ the operator asked.

"Hi, I can't seem to find a taxi? I've got to get to the airport soon, and the entire city's like a ghost town..."

_(Ma'am, you shouldn't be outside right now. It's not safe for anyone. PLEASE find shelter soon.)_

"Shelter? What - why?"

_(You didn't hear? We notified everyone through the news, email, text, everyway we could.)_

"I don't live here. I'm not on any of your email lists or whatnot. What's going on?" I asked. Confusion and nervousness washed through me.

_(Ma'am, the city is under lockdown. There's been a metahuman attack.)_

"WHAT?!" I suddenly recalled the warnings of the Italian woman in the lobby, and how I had failed to notice how quiet everything had been. Caitlin's warnings! No wonder she was telling me to stay inside. The nervousness turned into sudden fear. A metahuman attack? The _entire_ city was endangered by them? They were this intense?

_(Ma'am, where are you located? l can send for a police officer to pick you up and bring you to safety. The city has been advised not to let anyone into their buildings.)_

"I'm in front of Big Belly Burger on Treehill Boulevard. I'm wearing a black blazer and pink floral dress, and am carrying a rolling suitcase and laptop bag."

_(Thank you. We'll send for you right away.)_

"Thank you."

I was standing in the middle of the street - completely exposed and out in the open. While this made it easy for any police officer to find me, it also made me vulnerable should I be in any danger. I found myself praying that everyone inside the restaurant - and hiding elsewhere - stayed safe and out of harm's way.

But I had to get myself out of potential danger as well - and it was quickly getting dark. I looked to see if there were any cars or obstacles I could hide behind - when an explosion went off near the east end of Treehill Blvd.

Two police cars I had not noticed before had swerved from the neighboring road onto the intersection between that road and Treehill - and had seemed to have crashed into each other. Smoke billowed beneath their hoods, and two officers scrounged out of the first car, a third pulling out an unconscious companion from the passenger side of the second.

"Central City Police! Put your hands where we can see them!" one announced, the first two officers pointing pistols towards me.

Panicking, I dropped my bags and obeyed.

Then I realized they weren't talking to me.

A ghostly figure appeared out of thin air a few feet in front of the cars. He wore a gray nylon jacket that was unzipped in the front, and dusty blue jeans, as if he had just rolled around in ash. I saw that he was only a young boy - couldn't have been older than 17 or 18 - and of a tall, strong build. Despite his age, he seemed to have grayish-silver hair concealed under a hood, and wore an expressionless face.

He faced the officers and stood up tall, held his hands up, exposed.

Even at a distance - a few hundred yards away from me - his skin too seemed grayish and extremely dry, reminding me of old sandpaper. As if it could disintegrate with a single touch.

The officers, now joined by their third companion, looked at each nervously, then stepped forward with handcuffs to arrest him.

As soon as one officer had the boy's gray hands behind his back, the boy... vanished with an ominous puff of gray smoke.

Oh god. My eyes were betraying me. I - I had blinked and missed him.

No, I didn't, I realized with a churn of my stomach.

What I had seen was the truth.

The boy had turned into _smoke,_ and disappeared completely _..._

Was my lunch from earlier _drugged?_ This couldn't have actually happened. Nobody can just ... turn into _smoke_ and dissipate into the air?!

The officers began to panic. They frantically looked around for the gray boy. Soon, the twilight air began thickening into murky smog. The smoke bloomed wildly, and soon even the officers were barely visible to me.

"We need backup on Treehill! Send as many officers as you can! We're - we're surrounded by smoke!" A voice yelled into a walkie-talkie.

"What's that over there?" another officer said. Through the smoke, I could barely make out an arm gesturing towards me.

"I'm an innocent bystander. I was not able to find shelter. I mean you no harm," I answered hurriedly. By the time I finished explaining myself, the air had been completely converted to smoke. I realized I was not able to breathe through the ashes flowing through the air, and coughed powerfully. There was no clean oxygen left here, I realized, fear shooting shivers up and down my spine.

I heard coughing coming from the general direction of the police as well.

"Try to make your way over to us as quickly and quietly as possible! The boy you saw is extremely unpredictable and dangerous!" Someone shouted, then coughed.

I held my hands out in front of me, trying to feel for any obstacles in my path despite the fact that I knew it was a clear street. I was stumbling around blindly, and my chest began to tighten from the lack of air. Suddenly I felt something strong wrap itself around my waist and my neck. I was lifted off of the ground. I let out a shriek with whatever breath I had left.

"Please - I don't want to hurt you - I'm just as scared as you are." whispered a juvenile male voice. It was the boy - the metahuman.

I choked in response.

"I don't know how to control these powers. The police think I'm here to hurt everyone."

"I - can - see - why."

I was losing oxygen quickly. My head began to get woozy from both his tight chokehold around my neck and from the intense smoke around me. Within a few minutes, I knew I was going to pass out, and possibly die.

The boy willed the air to clear in front of us. A light smoky sheen revealed a trio of very confused officers, each pointing guns in different directions. They noticed us, and immediately reorganized themselves so they were pointing the guns at us.

"Thompson - let the woman go!"

"Promise to stop chasing me, or she dies."

To emphasize his point, he intensified the smoke around my head, but left an almost clear passageway by my nose amidst the mini smoke cloud. I could breathe clearly, I realized and began inhaling great gulps of the precious air. He was making it look like I was in danger to get his way with the officers.

He really did mean it when he said he didn't want to harm me, but that didn't dispel my fear. The boy had been choking me just moments before. I could tell that he needed help, and the police were scaring him.

Soon, at least four more police cars joined the scene, and we were soon looking at a small crowd of at least sixteen cops, each one with guns pointed straight at us. A middle aged African American police officer with a beard stepped forward.

"This is Detective Joseph West! I order you to put the girl down! She has _nothing_ to do with this!"

"You all claim to be helping and keeping the city safe! Why can't you understand that I don't want to hurt anyone?" The boy shouted desperately, "Why can't you understand that I never intended to hurt anyone at the furnace factory - that it was an _accident?_ Why can't you leave me alone? I'm not a threat!"

"Andrew Thompson - if you're not hurting anyone, put the lady down!" West ordered.

"I'm only using her because you've pushed me to this extreme. Swear you'll let me be or - or I'll terrorize the entire city!" the boy threatened.

"Kid, you're not the best negotiator..." I whispered seriously.

He looked at me with eyes full of fear.

"STAR Labs can help you. They're experts at helping metahumans," I murmured, hoping to talk logic into the boy, "I can take you to them."

"Please. STAR Labs is the _last_ place I'll go. Don't you know? They capture and _torture_ metas. No meta who has _ever_ been stopped by them has been seen again, and nobody knows what happens to them. If I go to them, my family will never see me again," he muttered sourly, slowly backing away from the cops, still holding me tightly.

"So what's it gonna be? Will you let me live in peace, or is she going to die by my hand?" he yelled into the open.

A blonde officer joined Joseph West at the front line, and was about to yell something at us when he was interrupted by the loudest sound I had ever heard in my life.

It sounded like something along the lines of a jet-fighter plane rushing past us, except... on the ground?

The zoom was followed by a huge gust of wind hitting against us, ripping against my body. I turned to see what it was, and saw nothing. Whatever had caused the rush of wind had either disappeared or was invisible.

Great. Another murderous metahuman.

"You called him? You called _him_?!" Andrew panicked, releasing me and pushing me far away from him, "Please - you have to understand! I was bluffing! I don't want to harm anyone! I can barely control these abilities!"

His cries were earnest, but his fear was causing the smoke that had been dying down around us to billow into huge clouds again.

"Andrew - calm down! Your creating more smoke!" I shouted at him, hoping he'd hear me through the deep fog.

He looked at me, then at the cops behind us, still standing erect with their guns. Panic fleeted through his eyes.

"No - I can't put up with this anymore. You all are always chasing me, always treating me like a villain. Fine. If you're going to fight me, I'm going to fight ba -" the loud boom sound had crashed into him before he could finish his words, blowing most of the smoke away, followed by a streak of harsh yellow lightning.

In Andrew's place stood a pure red humanoid who was shaking terribly. No, not shaking. It was trembling, but powerfully, in control, and on purpose. I finally understood that the figure had been the one who had somehow run into Andrew Thompson.

Just as the smoke had almost died down and cleared the block, Andrew rose off of the ground about twenty feet away, clutching his forehead, his elbow bleeding.

"Not you. Please - not you. I've heard about you. You always speed in to save the day. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not a **_bad_** guy. Please!" he pleaded.

The red demon stood still.

Then a gunshot went off somewhere. I looked to the police and saw one of the officers with a guilty, sweaty look on his face, dropping his gun. He had fired, and the bullet had gone straight into Andrew's chest.

Andrew bowed his head and looked at the blood swelling through his ashy shirt. He looked back at the cops and the red figure with an enraged look on his face, curling his lips into a horrifying grimace. He held his hands up towards the police and the red human, and let out the most disturbing roar I had ever heard, and smoke erupting in great, toxic clouds from his fingertips right at us.

My heart stopped as I realized I was standing right in the midst of the showdown - right in front of the cops.

A series of gunshots went off on one side of me, smoke billowing on the other side.

I turned and tried to run, but before I could even lift my leg, I heard another powerful _zoom_ and instantly found myself at the sidewalk, away from the horizontal column of dark air that had consumed the road.

More _zooms_ , and the other police officers were dropped off to the sidewalk as well.

I could barely keep track of the red being as it went back towards Andrew and attacked him with several punches, each too fast to be seen, gold electricity stringing behind his movements. Andrew seemed to be trying to phase into smoke, but returned to his solid human form with each blow from his ghostly crimson opponent. He was trying to escape, I realized, but couldn't due to his adversary's rapid attacks.

I saw nothing but a gold blur encircling the boy, battering the boy in the middle of the electric tornado. Soon, the smoke had died down completely, and the air had cleared just as fast as it had darkened.

The boy was lying unconscious in the middle of Treehill Blvd, bruises about his head, a small stream of blood trickling from his agape mouth. The red demon was standing over him, then looked at me with a vibrating face I could not discern. I yelped as it ran towards me and picked me up, running so fast that space and time seemed to blur together, the wind piercing my face, tearing my hair out of its bun. I tried to close my eyes and pretend I was not moving at undefinable speeds, praying the metahuman wouldn't hurt me or kidnap me, losing control of my poor stomach.

Before I could even shut my eyes, I was at a building I recognized as the Central City Airport, unable to find my balance as I fell to my knees at the drop-off. My stomach churned again, only this time with violence. I felt myself gag - indicating that I was going to throw up. In another undefinable second, I had been lifted off the ground and pulled to my feet, and my laptop bag was over my shoulder, the handle of my carry-on bag in my left hand.

As my heart beat thundered against my ear, I could barely register what was happening as another blast of wind raced past my face, back towards the city, disappearing so fast I had to remind myself that everything I saw was real.

A young boy had been affected by the particle accelerator and had gained extraordinary, but dangerous, abilities.

He had been unfairly beaten by a red alien being and was targeted by the police because he did not know how to control his powers.

He said STAR Labs captures metahumans.


	3. Flashbacks

Back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I had little time to pack up my belongings before returning to Central City.

I couldn't exactly sleep very well either. I had been having nightmares about the vibrating red creature - nightmares that involved him brutally beating up my body on an empty street. Who _was_ he? A small fear tugged at me that I _had_ seen him before, once when I was younger...

I fervently prayed it wasn't him.

_"You always speed in to save the day."_

That's what Thompson had said to him before the crimson being mercilessly overpowered him.

Speed in to save the day?

Saving the day involved _helping_ people, not beating them.

But... But Thompson had been on the verge of poisoning the entire city block with his toxic smoke...

The being had no choice - Thompson couldn't control his abilities, and if he wasn't stopped, he would soon have killed off everyone.

But what could Thompson have _done_? His powers seemed to be directly controlled by his emotions, and the police force had performed an _excellent_ job of targeting him and making him as if he was a threat.

The only way he could've been stopped was by being taken down, and the police weren't powerful enough to do that.

Only the red speedster was...

I had said my goodbye to my parents at the Cambridge Cemetery, then headed over to the train station, finally accepting the fact that I was going to leave with more fear than anticipation.

I boarded the train and found my seat, before allowing my mind to wander off again.

Such abilities... I pondered in amazement, settling down for my long train ride.

Thompson had woven himself into the air. He could turn into smoke when provoked or frightened. More so, he had quickly managed to cover an entire city block with the black fumes in less than a minute.

Granted, he was not able to harness his abilities, but the fact that he had superhuman capabilities still pierced my heart with fear as well as a reluctant fascination.

Forget Thompson - the zooming red alien-like being had _really_ stolen the show that night.

That _speed_ \- the creature moved quicker than lightning. Was it even a metahuman?

It seemed too surreal to me that a human could be powerful enough to accomplish a feat like that. It had seemed unearthly, unrealistic. But I had seen it with my own eyes... The being ran into the scene, had saved us all from the horrifying smoke in less than a second, and had defeated Andrew Thompson in mere _moments_.

I couldn't believe I was moving to a city where _this_ happened, where I would be working at a laboratory highly involved in occurrences such as this.

The lab, I remembered with disdain.

Thompson spoke about STAR Labs with disgust and hatred. But that couldn't be true, correct?

STAR Labs was internationally renown - my own professors had regarded Dr. Harrison Wells and his work about energy-charged particles with admiration, respect and and reverence. They had known Wells many years before we had even been born - the man was in every physics textbook, had biographies published about him, had his own books published in every language and made famous in every corner of the world. He was revolutionizing clean energy and medicine through his work on particle control, and had planned on making clean energy free so we wouldn't be destroying our valuable ecosystems anymore and so healthcare could be more readily available and at cheaper costs. He had documentaries made about him, he was one of the greatest up and coming scientists of our day - the modern day Einstein. He was just as influential as Newton, Tesla, Marie Curie, Galileo, Stephen Hawking, my parents -

My parents.

They would have been _ecstatic_ to find out about this. Or - maybe they would have had higher expectations - that I would perform my _own_ scientific work rather than latching onto another lab.

See, my parents - Laurus and Ariadne Van Kleiss - were scientists as well. And no ordinary ones, while we're at it.

My mother was born and raised in Athens and was accepted to Harvard as an international student, where she met my father, of Dutch descent. They were both enthusiastic physicists who met during college before getting married. They were the ones responsible for discovering a new element - named vankleissium, in their honor. The new element, they found, was rather uncontrollable and ineffectual when it came to doing anything, hence its alternative moniker, _ecfrenatus_ , Latin for uncontrollable. The two of them began receiving anonymous death threats for their work, however - threats that promised to kill them should they continue their work. They chose to ignore the threats, believing they were hoaxes from envious rival scientists wanting the praise for their work.

At some point, I was born, and my parents had to balance a family life raising a new fascination - their daughter - as well as studying one in a lab - the element. They had found that while the element was not particularly reactive, it could easily be transformed and changed to resemble other elements, both in appearance and texture - opening new doors to molecular applications as well as questioning whether or not the element could _actually_ substitute its chosen dopplegangers.

These discoveries were followed by more threats, this time promising to kill _me_ if my parents did not stop their work.

As loving parents, this obviously struck a chord within them, and they hired guards to watch over their work and their lab, and over myself and their home - maximum security on everything, and had reported the threats to the police as well, before continuing their work.

We lived and worked in peace for a few years before my parents discovered that, yes, the particle _could_ be used to substitute any other material given proper laboratory modification - opening doors to thousands of technological and medical applications, allowing my parents to completely reinvent the field of artificial chemistry, and of course, this didn't go without application.

My parents soon received a phone call from Stockholm, Sweden, proudly inviting them over to Europe to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for all of their work.

This was also the moment when the death threats, which had left us alone for a few years, finally returned and reached their peak - receiving hundreds of ominous phone calls and notes in our mailbox, on our windows, on our cars, everywhere.

My father was physically beaten by a mysterious man on a trip back from the grocery store, and my mother barely escaped a terrifying car crash that left seven others dead.

Younger me would wake up screaming in the middle of the night and would run to my parents' room, recounting that a scary man was watching me sleep from my window, but our nightly guards would promise that they hadn't seen anyone there and that every inch of the perimeter was secured, though I _swore_ there was a scary figure, peering down at me.

The police were unable to find a match behind the fingerprints on the threatening notes left behind, or track down the voice behind the phone calls promising death, nor were they able to trace who this horrifying figure was.

My parents hesitated about leaving for Europe, and after several stressful weeks filled with arguments and confusion, managed to agree that my father, Laurus, would leave alone, while my mother would stay behind in Cambridge with her eight year old daughter.

What should have been the happiest moment of our lives became the most stressful. I remember seeing my mother shivering with fear as she hugged my father goodbye at the airport, and my father trying his best to stay upbeat as he lifted my mother's chin, assuring her that everything would be okay, that he'd be back as soon as possible, that he'd call us every hour, and that everything would go back to normal soon. I remember seeing my mother finally break down into tears after we arrived home, when she saw that a horrifying note was posted on our door, written in a blood-like ink for added effect, no less -

**Now, you've done it.**

**You've continued despite my warnings - you didn't believe me.**

**Your family will be ripped apart, and everything you've worked for will be destroyed.**

The guards, who had been stationed at our house and laboratories round the clock, said they didn't see anyone or anything come anywhere near our house, and solemnly swore that they had nothing to do with it. The security camera footage didn't show anything either - it was completely clean. The only visible people were the armed guards watching the house, and my mother and I returning. My mother called for more security, this time for members of the SWAT team and the FBI. She phoned my father and the hotel where he would be staying at, and ordered for maximum protection there as well. With shaking hands, she drove me back into town to lock up our lab before returning home and taking me with her to her bedroom to sleep. My mother, who rarely showed fear, was openly afraid, and Papa, always brilliant and caring, was in Sweden all alone, about to receive a prestigious award tomorrow morning, and an unknown man had threatened murder upon our family.

Suffice to say nobody got any sleep.

The next morning, we woke up early to check up on our house and with the guards, then settled down in the living room, ready to watch my father walk the stage and receive the Nobel. I remember myself cheering with glee and my mother silently crying tears of joy as my father and my hero, held up his award on live television and said his speech, dedicating his life's work to his daughter, Artemis, and that he owed everything to his best friend, partner and beloved wife, Ariadne, both of whom were not able to join him.

My mother and I called Papa after the ceremony, both to congratulate him and to ask if things were safe. He assured us that the situation was as safe as could be, and that we were heroes now - nothing could stop us.

His last words to us were said through the phone call that night, assuring us that we were great people, and were unparalleled in the entire universe. Nothing, he said, could take us away from him, and that he would be home soon. Papa then told my worrisome mother to calm down and get some sleep, and that he would be back on the plane to America the next day.

We believed him.

In the morning, we called my father, expecting more promises that he'd be at the airport, finished with his packing, ready to come home to us soon. He didn't answer. My mother dialed him again to no avail. She tried calling him again, and then a fourth time, before calling the registrar at his hotel.

A Swedish police officer answered my mother and with a heavy voice, explained to her that Laurus Van Kleiss, Nobel Prize winner and legendary physicist, the genius behind vankleissium, had been found in his hotel room with a huge, gaping, bloodied hole through his sternum and back, his papers scattered all across the floor, the room's windows, mirrors, and glasses shattered and in pieces.

Police and detectives were unable to piece together how the murder had happened: the guards positioned outside of my father's room and on the hotel balcony were found deceased in identical manners, and security footage again showed nothing: the men appeared to simply fall dead at the same moment the glass windows exploded, and the hole in my father's chest appeared out of thin air.

My mother was left in pieces, unconsolable, and I was severely scarred by the instance. My heroic genius of a father had been killed after he received the greatest award in the world, and nobody could figure out how. The news was broadcasted internationally, and detectives from all across the world had been personally requested by my mother to find out who was responsible for his death.

Nobody was able to find anything, and the case was almost immediately declared cold.

His body was returned to us, and my mother immediately sent for it to be investigated again. Hopefully, the Americans could find something. Again, forensic scientists and detectives were unable to figure out what had happened.

After weeks of analysis, the best they could come up with what that whoever did this was too fast to be detected.

###

We held my father's funeral quietly at the Cambridge Cemetery. Both of my parents were only children, without siblings, and had lost their own parents to old age. I remember the shock and pain I had felt when I had realized the only family I had left was my mother, as old classmates, professors and friends comforted us.

My mother had the family laboratories shut down, and pulled me out of school, keeping me with her for each living second. She had lost my father when they were separated. She had vowed to protect me with everything she had, or so help her. Security was almost quadrupled. My mother kept a gun with her at all times, and each square foot of the house was bugged, making our once cozy two-story house seem more like a military complex.

For a few nights, it seemed as if we could actually live safely.

One morning, my mother had asked for me to get ready to leave with her. She had arranged for a press conference, and would be announcing some very important news to the science world. We drove to one of Harvard's lecture halls, filled with reporters, journalists, faculty members, and some close students. She sat me down in the front row, and walked over to the podium, ready to face her audience. She had always kept her beautiful blonde hair cut short in a pixie cut, and decided to wear her glasses and red leather jacket that day.

With pain in her honey-like voice, she publicized that she no longer had the heart to continue her and her husband's work on the properties of vankleissium after his sudden death, and was resigning from her position as a physicist. Our labs would be permanently closed, and while they had shared much of their work on venkleissium with the world, she would not disclose the rest of data, leaving it a secret forever. Her sole priority, now, would be raising her daughter and keeping her safe. Nobody had solved Laurus Van Kleiss' murder, and until his killer was discovered and thrown in prison, my mother swore that she would have _nothing_ to do with the work that got her husband killed.

The hall erupted into an uproar, and several journalists tried to stop my mother from leaving, pleading with her to answer her questions on her way out. She silently walked over and retrieved me, then left Harvard silently, scowling as we drove back home.

The second we got home, she ran upstairs, instructed a handful of guards to watch over me, and shut herself up in her room.

From the other side of the door, I could hear loud, unrestrained sobbing.

This was the _only_ moment my mother had willingly left my side since my father had been killed.

###

That night, my mother finished her nightly routine of double checking all the locks and bolts on our windows and doors, checked in with our guards, then took me to her room to go to sleep.

But I couldn't sleep - I was more confused than ever. All I could understand was that Papa had been killed mysteriously and viciously, and that Mama was going to quit her work, and everyone was mad at her, and her response was to shut them out. My mother was no longer the strong, witty, youthful and confident scientist who had taken the world by storm. She was weak and sad now, and afraid. So so very afraid.

I began to weep as she pulled me in closer. She rose her head in response.

"Temi, what's wrong? I thought you were asleep," she murmured as she comforted me, stroking my hair.

"Mama, everything is so bad now. Papa's not here, and you are always scared."

Tears burned helplessly from my eyes down my cheeks. She wiped them away with a kind hand before snuggling my head in the curve of her neck like she did when I was a small child.

"I want Papa back, Mama." I wept. I began trembling with sobs now, and my mother rose and hugged me to her chest. She softly began crying as well.

"Hush, child. You're a big girl now. A big girl with a big heart and a strong mind," she kissed my forehead. "You are young, but you have so much strength in you as well, strength you do not know of yet. Soon, you will accomplish great things. Your father is not here, but I am, and I vow to love you and protect you. You will go on to become a great woman, you'll see. Find that strength, and you can do amazing things, Temi. Your father would be proud of you. You need to make sure you keep your head in the game, and make me proud too, okay?"

Her voice cracked gently from her tears. She squeezed my shoulder and kissed my face.

I didn't understand much of what she was saying, but her smooth voice consoled me.

Then, Mama got up, turned on the lights and walked to her and Papa's chest of drawers, where they kept files and papers that didn't concern me. She opened up the first drawer, one that could only be opened by key, and rummaged through it until she found what she was searching for, and walked back over to me on the bed.

"Temi, look what I have here," she said kindly as she emptied her hands onto the mattress between us. I saw several rings, a silver chain, a key ring, and a few pairs of brass keys. She picked up two of the rings - golden bands with Harvard's logo on their faces, one slightly smaller than the other, and placed them in my small hands.

"These are our college rings. Papa and I received them when we were finished with our school."

I closed them in my hand, and watched Mama pick out another ring - a small band with a huge, perfectly cut diamond in the center.

"And this, Tema, is the engagement ring your father gave me when he proposed," she said, smiling as I turned the new ring around in my hands.

"Did we ever tell you how he proposed to me?"

I shook my head no.

"Well, we were good friends when we first started college. But I never really liked him more than that," She said with a laugh, "But near the end of our undergraduate studies, he started going off about how he loved me and was going to marry me. I dismissed him as crazy, and told him he'd have to win me over before any of that. I wasn't going to spend my entire life with someone just because they were my lab partner." She explained, her beautiful smile not leaving her lips. She all too rarely revealed that smile nowadays. I smiled back at her. Anything to keep that smile lasting longer, anything to keep her happy and not afraid. I giggled.

"But you did, Mama. You did marry him," I said. She laughed in response, and tickled my stomach, eliciting more giggles from me.

"He started putting up more of an effort when we started graduate school. Took me to places much nicer than the old library or Big Belly Burger. He spent more time with me, tried to be funnier, cooler, smoother. It didn't work, but I saw that he truly cared and actually meant it when he loved me. So, on the day we received our Masters, right after the grad ceremony, he got down on one knee and proposed to me with that very ring - right in front of both of our families! I remember feeling so embarrassed being confronted like that in front of my parents - as it was kind of improper - but I said yes. Your father was a very kind, caring and hardworking man. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else," She looked away, and I allowed her to have her moment to relive the memory. She turned back to me, and kissed my cheek.

"You are just like him, you silly girl." She said, tickling me under my chin. Again, I giggled helplessly. I was hopelessly ticklish, and Mama knew that.

"You have his laugh, you know, and the same gorgeous black hair as him," she murmured, looking into my eyes, "And the same kind of fearless determination that he had. When you grow up, you'll be a very strong woman, my little Artemis." She stopped and stroked my hair for a second, then picked up the last ring - a wedding band. It was a much more elaborate version of the last ring, with a rose gold band, and rubies flanking the centerpiece diamond on either side, fashioning the gems into an expertly crafted crescent.

"This one, as you know, is the ring I was given at our wedding. Your father knew how madly I was obsessed with the moon, and said that if I wasn't going to marry him because I loved him, then at least I should stay with him because he was moon-eyed for me and couldn't do anything about it," she recalled with a laugh.

"That's where you got your name, my beautiful. The moon is a very beautiful, but sad, celestial body. But she has a power of her own... Even if everyone is asleep when she rises, even if you cannot see her on some nights, you know she is there. She is there, and she is always watching, always protecting her Sun. She shines her special light on the people below her, a light you cannot find anywhere else, not even in the stars. There is only one moon, and she is unique. Because - without the darkness, she can never shine," She explained.

I admired the ring for a second in my hand, then something clicked in my brain.

"But Mama, sometimes I see the moon in the mornings. And the sun is there too!" I declared, "And what about - about eckipses?" I started, unable to remember the word Papa had taught me once.

"The moon and the sun _are_ together sometimes," I continued stubbornly.

Mama leaned her head to one side, and kissed me gently on the cheek.

"And Mama - Daddy said I was named for a goddess. Artemis. The goddess of hunting women-"

Mama interrupted me before I could explain to her that other planets had moons too.

"The goddess of the hunt and of maidenhood, child. Artemis protected the animals, and looked after the women to make sure they were safe before they were married. And she rode the chariot that was the moon. She was a very strong and determined legend, just as we hoped you would be," In later years, I learned that Mama was giving me a watered down, child's version of the tale, "In either case, we named you this because you are our only child - our only moon. And you bring light to our lives - to my life," She corrected herself, remembering she would not be sharing me with anyone anymore, "And you, my love, have more in you than you know. You are my little girl, and you are so amazing," she said, as she fought me with more tickles. I hugged her arm and adjusted so I was sitting beside her, and she picked up the smaller of the two brass keys.

"Now, this is the key to our house. I always thought I would give this to you when you were older, but you can never be too careful, _nai_? If it makes you feel safer knowing you can have this, I want you to have it."

I nodded my head, and Mama added the key to my collection of trinkets. She picked up the last charm - the larger brass key. It had _Van Kleiss Labs_ engraved in a fine print upon its bow and _Artificial Chemistry and Physics Research_ cut into either sides of the blade. She gave it a long, sad look, then sighed as she held it out to me.

"This one, Temi, is the key to our laboratory. When we find out what happened to Papa, when his killer is brought to justice, we will go back and continue our work. We will go back and reopen the lab, and _you_ will be the one who will unlock the door. You and I will work together. You will bring our work back to its original legacy, and you will carry on our name with pride and reverence."

I smiled and nodded my head at her.

"Now, you should also know that this is the only key left. Only two were made - one for Papa, one for me. Your father has the other key. I only saw fit that he keep it with him for the rest of eternity. But this - this is mine, and I entrust it to you. You will reopen the lab, and you will make us proud. So, so proud." She kissed me again, then held her hand out to me. I gave her everything back, and she fastened the keys and rings onto the keyring, and strung that about the silver chain. She held up the result - a beautiful necklace with a very valuable charm pendant. I took it from her and put it on, admiring the collection in my hand.

"Silly girl, you're going to wear it to sleep?" She asked kindly. I pumped my chin up and down in response.

"I won't stop you, but what if it hurts you in your sleep?" she asked with motherly concern.

"It won't, Mama. _You_ gave it to me. I'll sleep fine," I responded. She smiled and pulled me in her arms, and leaned back down upon the pillows, singing a Greek lullaby to me. I was far too old for lullabies, but they were most effective at putting me to sleep. Songs about happiness, about warmth and comfort, promising a life without issues, given that I get good rest. As if sleep was the answer to all of life's problems.

My eyes lulled to sleep as Mama continued to sing, her warm smile the last thing I saw.

###

We slept peacefully for a few hours, but I jolted awake suddenly. The ground was shuddering steadily. It wasn't supposed to do that.

I shook my mother awake.

"Mama - earthquake!"

"What? Earthquake?" She sat up straight and looked around, "But Tema, the ground isn't shaking, only the -"

Her eyes grew wide as she stopped mid-sentence. She quickly grabbed me and held me tightly in her arms. I could hear Mama's heart pounding like a drum inside her chest. I had no idea what was going on. The shuddering got louder and louder. Outside, the guards on the balcony looked at each other with confusion.

"Something bad is going to happen," she whispered, looking at me with wide, scared eyes.

For a moment, everything stood perfectly still. Mama held her breath in fear. The only sounds were her beating heart and the trembling noise, both of which grew more and more intense by the second. I couldn't tell what was happening. I wondered if Mama was afraid for no reason.

Then the shuddering became deafening as it hit its peak, and lightning struck the glass door. No, it wasn't lightning, but somehow the windows and the glass door leading out to the balcony exploded with a burst of blinding light, and my mother squeezed me against her even tighter as shards of glass flew everywhere.

My six year old brain was able to understand very little of what occurred next.

The light that had destroyed the glass door started circling the room at unfathomably fast speeds, throwing perfume bottles off of Mama's dressing table, ripping picture frames off of the walls, sending the entire room into a loud, chaotic vortex.

Mama held a tight grip on me, but from between her arms, I could see that the light had taken on the form of a red and yellow man. No, not one man, I realized. Two. One red, one yellow, chasing each other around the room, each followed by yellow and red lightning, respectively - both nearly impossible to discern as they zoomed around at impossibly fast speeds.

Mama screamed, and broke one arm free to retrieve her revolver hidden underneath her pillow. She struggled to load it with spare bullets as the lightning demons continued to rip around the room.

With a shock, I had realized that pieces of glass had pierced her arms and even her temple, but that didn't stop her.

One of the men made a sudden move at us, but was stopped by the other as they continued in their tornado of a fight.

Mama took her gun and began to try to shoot at them, but to no avail - the beings were simply going too fast. She kept shooting anyway, lodging bullets into the walls, the TV, anywhere. Soon, she ran out of bullets, threw the gun, and once again held me in her iron hug, but before I could hug her back and release the scream I had been containing during the entire instance, I was outside, on the lawn, at the edge of the street, in the exposed cold.

The beings had been in there for only seconds, and I was somehow outside.

The guards at our front door and porch were taken aback by finding six year old Artemis in her Unicorn Fairy pajamas fallen on the lawn. I had no idea how I got there, but I ran towards them, and screeched for my mother. On the balcony, I could see the two guards positioned there lying flat, blood painting the ledge.

They had been killed.

The other sentries joined the ones from the front door, and pounded their heavy feet up the stairs, while two stayed behind to try and contain me. I screamed and sobbed. Mama was up there all alone, and she had no means to protect herself from whatever the hell was happening up there. With panic, I remembered the headlines from Papa's murder - **_Nobel Prize Winner Laurus Van Kleiss found Dead in Hotel Room Amid Broken Glass, Murder Scene is Insensible._** Whatever was going on inside was going to kill Mama, just like it had to Papa, I realized. My fear took a new form as pure adrenaline, and I pushed my way out of the arms of my protectors, and ran inside the house and up the stairs, the guards chasing me, yelling at me to stop. The other eighteen or so guards were all around my mother's room, trying to push the door open. Three slammed into the door at once, and it fell from its hinges. I pushed through them and ran inside.

Mama was still alive, but the creatures who were there before had stopped. One had disappeared, actually. Mama was sitting up straight, awash in fear, and made eye contact with me. The guards now stood in the same line as me, just as shocked as I was.

"Artemis, you need to leave! Get out!" She shouted, then turned to her left, her once beautiful brown eyes raging with fear.

There was a ghostly man standing there. A tall one, in a yellow suit that phased into black as it went down to his feet. He wore a yellow cowl that hid all of his face save for his mouth, curled in a horrible smile as he faced me, and eyes as red as burning coals - a face that would haunt me in my nightmares well into adulthood. There was a lightning-shaped emblem on his chest. Just as soon as we had noticed each other, he shoved a knife in my mother's chest and sneered as she slumped back against the headrest. I let out a horrified scream, tears burning my eyes as I ran to her bedside, and the guards open fired on him. The other lightning man - the red one - appeared from the other side of the room, jumped over our heads, slammed into the yellow one, and both disappeared in a fit of static.

It was all over just as soon as it had happened - again, in mere seconds. Milliseconds, perhaps.

A handful of guards ran over to where the two beings had disappeared, and I climbed the bed and sat on my mother's lap.

I pray that no child see what I faced that night.

The large knife stuck perpendicularly out of my mother's chest, blood blossoming thickly around the wound, through her purple nightdress. Her eyes and mouth were closed, and her head fell to one side, blood streaming down her temple, where a glass shard as big as my thumb had embedded itself. Her arms - the same arms that were holding me so tightly and with so much strength and love only moments ago, were sprinkled with bits of glass from the initiating explosion and fell limp at her sides.

Mama was stabbed.

Mama was critically hurt.

Papa was dead and now Mama was dying - and I had seen how it had happened.

The police are wrong. No human killed papa. The suspect wasn't human, I thought with shock as a guard lifted me off of my mother and wrapped a wool blanket around me.

A squad of police officers ran into the bedroom, and big, hot, salty tears ran down from my eyes and onto my cheeks as I fell to the ground and sobbed. A guard picked me up and led me out of the room and into the downstairs foyer, then uselessly hugged me as I sat there, taken by the shock.

Outside, I heard a firetruck and ambulance roll in, and firefighters and paramedics joined the security guards, police officers, and my dead mother upstairs. They returned downstairs, two carrying a gurney that held my mother, and I helplessly followed them outside, wanting to be with Mama.

No.

Mama wasn't dead.

She was in shock from the knife. It hadn't gone in too deep, did it? She was okay. She was just exhausted and scared and worried - and getting stabbed just caused her to fall unconscious after all that stress. The monster missed the heart. She was alive. She was okay - she was just resting.

I hobbled in after them, dropping the blanket.

She was _okay._

A mustached man wearing a police badge and suit stopped me at the porch, and got down on one knee to speak to me.

"Hey. I'm Commissioner James Gordon. I know what you just saw, but you can't just run out like that," he said softly, replacing the warm wool blanket over my shoulders.

"Mama - Mama..." I was incapable of saying anything else, and Gordon pulled me into a hug, then got up and led me outside, where I saw a legion of police cars, SWAT and FBI trucks, a fire brigade, a fire truck, and two ambulances. The paramedics I had seen earlier were pushing Mama into the back of one of the ambulance, and another group of paramedics led me by the arms into the other one.

All of these people came to help us, and they were all late, I thought numbly, as I watched the paramedics shut the doors to the back of the ambulance and get ready to drive Mama away.

Later on, I was placed in a hospital room, where several nurses came in to check up on my vital signs, which were all normal, save for an overly-excited heart beat. I personally could care less what was happening to me, and insisted on getting information about my mother.

"Where's my mama? Is she okay?" The nurses didn't answer. They smiled at my apologetically.

"Do you know what happened to her? Can I go see her?" My murmurs were breaking into tears again, and the nurses left, and a doctor entered the room with Commissioner Gordon.

They both got down on their knees to face me, and I remember my head spinning painfully as I tried to wrap my head around what they were saying, blacking out afterwards.

Dr. Ariadne Van Kleiss, Ph.D, wife of Laurus Van Kleiss, had passed away. She was dead on arrival, they explained.

I had watched Mama die before my very eyes.

###

The next few weeks had been slow and painful, I remembered. Our once grand house was closed for investigation, and Officer Gordon allowed me to stay with him for a few weeks until my father's lawyer arrived. I had been taken to the police department several times a week, asked to report what I saw and how everything had happened. I felt sick of telling the same gruesome story over and over again. The room started shaking, the glass door broke, two figures made of light tornadoed around the room, I was outside, I ran inside, I saw one of them kill Mama, the red one attacked the yellow one, then they just disappeared.

The officers didn't believe me.

They'd ask me to tell them what really happened, so I'd repeat the story again, this time, tearful.

"Why _won't_ you believe me?" I had demanded, "I'm telling you - _monsters_ killed her! The suspects aren't human! They're lightning monsters!"

The officers gave each other wistful looks, apologetically handed me a lollipop and had someone come get me.

Once, while I was at the police station after another repetitious interrogation, I heard two officers discussing something in the other room.

"Do we have anything on Van Kleiss yet?"

"No. The kid is innocent, that much we know. The guards say they found her outside, and when they all ran back up to the room, the mother was dead and her kid was screaming."

"Still no suspects?"

"We can't find anything on the fingerprints behind the notes, or the voices behind the phone calls. We're literally unable to deduce anything. There's no DNA on the knife found in her chest either. Whoever did this is unidentifiable. No voice match, no fingerprint match. Its like they don't even exist."

"Well, get this," I heard some papers slap down on a table.

"Nora Allen. 32 years old. Worked two part time jobs as a librarian and as a waitress. No crime records, or anything, but sources say she was in a struggling marriage. She was killed on the same night as Van Kleiss. Her son, who was an eye witness, said the same thing as the Van Kleiss girl, except the girl said she saw a yellow and black suited man, who she claims did it. Allen's son said that the windows and glasses broke, the house was thrown into chaos, speeding red/yellow lights around his mom, then he was somehow transported outside, out of harm's way, then managed to get back in, found his mom stabbed on the floor, the human lights disappeared, and his father was convicted."

"Same _exact_ night?"

"Yep. Both murders occurred within minutes of each other. The boy lost his mother around midnight - that's when his father called the police, and the guards at the Van Kleiss house called in barely ten minutes after. But get this - "

"What?"

"The Allen murder took place in Central City. _Central._ City. That's nowhere near Cambridge, and the two women have nothing in common with each other, save for the fact that they were mothers. That's _it._ They didn't know each other, completely different backgrounds, nothing in common at all, other than their kids. And there was no actual evidence found that proved Henry Allen killed his wife. No fingerprints, no nothing."

"So we just gonna assume all single-child mothers are going to die, and that their only witnesses are gonna give us sci-fi garbage about human lightning bolts?"

"I don't know, man. I don't know what to make of this."

I remembered my heart feeling insanely heavy afterwards. Not just my mom, but another child had lost his mom as well. He was going through the same thing. I remember feeling so confused about it, then Commissioner Gordon walked in with a tall, gaunt man wearing a black suit, holding a brown leather briefcase with both hands.

"Artemis, this is Mr. Lin Walker. He's your father's lawyer. He'll be in charge of you now."

Mr. Walker smiled at me with distant eyes, thanked Gordon, then walked me out of the room. I turned around and saw Mr. Gordon smiling sadly at me. I escaped Mr. Walker's grip on my shoulder, and ran back to Mr. Gordon and gave him a hug around his waist. He had been one of the kindest people to me in this time, and had cared for me a lot when I stayed at his house. He bent down and returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Mr. Gordon."

"No problem, Artemis."

"Artemis?" I heard a voice behind me call out. It was that Walker guy. He was checking his watch. He clearly wasn't one for heartfelt moments.

"I need to go. Bye, Mr. Gordon."

"Goodbye, Artemis. Take care of yourself," Mr. Gordon replied. I turned back towards the other man and hoped he would be kind like Mr. Gordon. But little did I know that that would be the last I would see of Mr. Gordon before he relocated to a gloomy city named Gotham, where we would meet again.

###

Mr. Walker drove me without saying a word to a small cafe in downtown Cambridge, and bought two sets of lunch. He blandly placed one set in front of me, took a bite out of his own, then opened up the briefcase and pulled out several papers.

"Now, Artemis. First things first, I'm terribly sorry for your loss, it's a very difficult time for you, I hope you get better, and you definitely will," He said matter-of-factly through a mouth half full of food. I immediately disliked his business-forward attitude.

"I'm here to let you know that because you do not have any family, you will be adopted into a foster home," he began, not bothering to make eye contact, "and that this family will be the one to care for you. Because you are an only child, you will inherit all your parents' home, property and their money, but in due time. You are clearly too young for that now. Only once you reach the age of eighteen, however, will everything fall to you. Until then, I am in charge of everything. If there is anything else you would like for me to hold onto in the meantime, please let me know." He continued, signing off on the papers in front of him.

My hand reached the charm hanging from my neck. I took a second to think it over, and took it off, handing it to him.

"What's this?" he asked, looking confused.

"My - my mother's dowry," I explained solemnly, "She gave it to me the night she...died."

"Oh?" he said, closing his fingers around it. "I'll take good care of it, I promise. I'll lock it up in your parents' safe." He pulled his briefcase up, and put the necklace in one of the inside pockets.

In a few days, Mr. Walker drove me out of Massachusetts and into a small neighborhood in New Jersey, where I met my adoptive family. The middle aged parents introduced themselves as Kim and Greg Lee, and they had a small family of a son and a girl, both younger than me. They led me to a poorly decorated room with two beds, and told me I'd be sharing the room with their daughter, Kristin. Mr. Walker said his goodbyes, thanked the family, and left.

The Lees were good people, but I was not a good stepdaughter.

For one, I cried an awful lot. Nightmares of the two lightning beasts would wake me up in cold sweat, and I would scream and sob loudly, waking everyone up.

I would cry when they tried to feed me, I would cry when they tried to take me out, I would cry when they tried to comfort me with toys and hugs.

I picked fights with their children. I constantly reminded them that they were not my real family, not my real parents, that I didn't belong here - that I belonged in Cambridge, that I was a Van Kleiss. I would wreak havoc at nighttime, when Kim and Greg would try to put me to sleep, screaming that the lightning men would zoom into the room and kill me, and kill them too, causing their children to cry, frustrating everyone.

Soon, I started running away. I would go missing for several days, weeks at a time, which worried the Lees right out of their minds. I would be found a disgusting, filthy mess, and brought back - only to run away again. The Lees didn't _dare_ put me under house arrest, something they did not wish for their own children to see.

They tried to enroll me in therapy, but at my first session with the psychiatrist, when she asked me questions about how I felt and what was wrong, I snapped at her, saying she was a fake and that "talking" wasn't going to fix things, then kicked her in the shin, and stormed out, ordering Kim to take me back home.

I would run away from school after they dropped me off, and meandered into town and into small shops and stores, and steal and break things - not because I wanted to, but because I was mad and nobody did anything about it.

The world had given up on my loving parents. The world deserved to be punished at the hands of a scrawny, unkempt second grader.

Greg would be _infuriated_ when he'd receive calls from the police department, that his now nine year old stepdaughter had committed felonies - again. The few times I was in school (usually due to force), I would spit on and bully the other kids, colored with my crayons in the schoolbooks, drew angry faces with permanent markers on the walls, sneered at my fourth grade teacher that I didn't care about math and English, ripped up homework sheets in front of her, and cut them with safety scissors into alphabet letters that spelled mean things while the other children would innocently be learning about adjectives and double digit multiplication. I spent more time in the principal's office than in the classroom.

In the three and a half years I lived with the Lees, I had been kicked out of four schools, spent a total of six months on the run, had earned a rep for being the neighborhood bad kid, and had racked up nearly a thousand dollars in repair and restoration charges.

Finally the Lees called Mr. Walker and gave me up, saying I was an uncontrollable trouble maker who was becoming a horrible influence on their own children, and that their wallets were being drained from all the reimbursements they were being forced to pay because of my vandalism and small crimes.

Mr. Walker came and picked me up, and quickly handed me off to another family in Virginia, the parents having two older sons. They would be able to handle me. After all, they had raised two sons, both older than me, Walker said. They'd be able to take of me and I'd be happier with them, he promised.

My new family, the Huangs, lived in a nicer home and in wealthier conditions than the Lees. Darren Huang was an engineer, his wife Michelle a renown psychologist. They gave me my own room, bought me my own stuff, enrolled me in an affluent private school, their two older sons promising they'd be nice to me and that we would all get along, and that they'd be there for me when I was sad.

My shrieking at night and troublesome attitude allowed Darren and Michelle Huang to tolerate me for a solid three years before they too reached their limits and handed me back over to Mr. Walker, who had found another family ready to adopt me in Colorado.

The Griffin family also encountered a rebellious and rude Artemis Van Kleiss, and gave up almost immediately, sending me back to Walker in barely six months.

Walker was incredibly embittered by my turbulent actions. He didn't _dare_ put me in another family only for me to be given up again, the family complaining about my incompatibility and the long list of charges I'd create for them, the trouble I'd cause their own kids.

No, this time, Lin was taking things into his own hands.

This time, he flew me back to his home in New York, and sat me down across from me at his family dinner table, pinching the skin between his eyes.

"You should go to prison," he seethed, "Juvenile hall, where you deserve to rot away til you're allowed to leave. A kid like you - you're uncontrollable. You're a _mess_. Hitting other kids? Bullying the parents? Refusing to eat or sleep, running away, going rogue, destroying public property? What's going on with you? You've become a _psychopath."_

I shrugged, and leaned back in the chair. I crossed my arms and kicked my feet up onto the table, smiling as I watched him grow more aggravated by my behavior.

"Artemis, you're almost _thirteen_. I understand that losing your parents and leaving your home made you angry and bitter. You probably feel all alone in the world. That nobody cares for you, that nobody understands you, but you _can't_ continue to act this way."

I sighed nonchalantly and turned my hand over in my lap, looking at my fingernails - acting as if I was ignoring him and didn't care. He continued talking.

"Artemis, _listen_ to me. Look at everything you've done." He pulled out a piece of paper that read a history of all the minor crimes I had committed. Thefts at various stores in Jersey, breaking school property, tormenting and bullying other kids, harassing my foster family, running away from home in the middle of the night for weeks on end to endure homelessness. Similar items were listed for Virginia and Colorado. I tossed the piece of paper over my shoulder and crossed my arms again.

Walker's lips grew taut with anger.

"Is this what your parents would have wanted for you? For you, their only daughter, to turn out a criminal?"

"What would _you_ know about what my parents would have wanted? They're both _dead_ , Lin," I snapped, "All _you've_ done for me is hand me off to random people, asking them to look after me. You don't know what they would have wanted. You don't even _know_ me!"

Walker looked at me with cold eyes, then sighed.

"Your parents were good people, Artemis. I know that much. They were both unbelievably dedicated to their work, and to raising you. They would be incredibly disappointed to find out that their daughter is a disrespectful little punk. You _need_ to be better than this, for their sake."

I stayed silent. His words had hit a chord in me, but I wouldn't let him see that.

He pulled out more papers from his omnipresent briefcase, this time - photos. He spread them across the table for me to see.

"Your father and I were good friends. We had met back in college, and have stayed in touch ever since, despite that we walked different paths in life. He was one of the greatest people I have ever met."

I looked at vintage photos of college aged boys hanging out and laughing, recognizing a younger version of my father in some of them, a younger version of Lin Walker always close to him, always laughing alongside him.

Walker pulled more photos, this time, photos of my parents. I recognized photos from their college graduations, them giving speeches at school, wedding photos, pictures of them at the hospital holding a crying baby, pictures of them at home laughing together and at work, mixing a chemical I recognized to be vankleissium, and working with machines, and finally, pictures of my father smiling at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, giving his speech, and my mother at her last press conference, in her red jacket.

Sadness pulled at my insides, and I fought back tears. My parents...

"Artemis, do you even _know_ who your parents were?"

I looked down, not ready for this confrontation.

"Artemis, your parents _changed_ history as we know it. There's a spot on the periodic table of elements with their name on it. With _your_ name on it. They've built a legacy - one of the greatest ones of the century - and as their only child, you're responsible for upholding it and keeping their memory alive. Have you been doing that?"

"No," I mumbled, a tear escaping my eye and burning my cheek. He was right. I wasn't happy with what had happened in the past, but how I dealt with it wasn't very respectable.

"Like I said earlier, you're almost thirteen. It's been seven years since you lost your parents, Artemis. _Seven_ years. And in those seven years, all you've done is get into trouble and hurt people - you've become the exact opposite of who your parents were."

His words finally cut through my facade, and I allowed myself to cry. He was right. I had broken my promise to Mama. I had let her down, had strayed away from what they were. I had forgotten...

Mr. Walker leaned over and handed me a tissue, then held my free hand.

"I'm not going to give you up to another family. You've proved too incapable of that. You cause trouble. This time, I'm taking matters into my own hands. You're going to live with us - w. But if you want to stay with us, you're going to need to behave. You're going to need to focus. You'll have change yourself, and you'll have to step closer to who you really are - a Van Kleiss, and the only Van Kleiss left in the world at that." He paused and took a deep breath, "Because if you don't, and you force us to give you up as well, there's really nobody left in the world who will take you in. I'll have to turn you over to juvey hall, and I can't disrespect your parents like that."

I nodded my head at him, silently. For the first time since I met him, Mr. Walker smiled at me. He reached into his bag yet again, and pulled out a small white box.

"I have a feeling, though, that this time - you won't lose track of yourself,"

He put the box in front of me, and I opened it, pulling away the white wrapping paper, revealing the old necklace my mother made for me when I was young. I put it back on, and smiled at him.

With that conversation, Mr. Walker had changed my life for better. His wife, Miranda, was kind and pretty, and was expecting a baby. Together, the two of them got me to clean up my act and become serious about my behavior and about my education too, something I had put off in my long fit of rebellion. Lin saw to my education and academics, and enrolled me in a tough school and arranged several extracurriculars for me - sports teams year-round, book clubs, performing arts and cooking classes, science competitions, everything. He kept me so busy that it barely gave me the chance to act out in between classes, games, whatnot. In fact, I was satisfied with the heavy workload. Miranda taught me to dress properly and maintain a strong, clean appearance no matter where I went. I was no longer going to be a little "street rat," and I was going to speak clearly in every situation. I was not someone to be trifled with, she taught me, and I would not little fickle matters get to my brain and contaminate me further. Alarms were placed on every window, every door to prevent me from trying to run away. New York City was not the kind of place you would want an adolescent girl to be roaming unattended, anyway.

I learned to finally accept them as parental figures, and entered an era of peace in my life. Their son, Nicholas, soon grew attached to me, and what with everything I was learning from them, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, that things were looking up.

Then came high school, where I learned I was extremely competitive, and good at competing when it came to that. Studying came easy to me, and I earned the highest grades and highest honors, beating out the entire school. Lab science was where I excelled the most - studying chemistry and physics, easily carrying out otherwise difficult experiments, competing in science bowls, winning awards, soon lining up the Walker's living room shelf with too many trophies for it to hold. I also became a competitive athlete, sending my high school girl's basketball and the school's track teams to tournaments that I'd refuse to lose. The Walkers attended my every game, every tournament. They wouldn't let me down, not when I had so much going for me for once in my life. I was building a national reputation, and soon, representatives from universities would come knocking at the front door, informing me about the massive decision I was about to make, and how they were the 'right fit' for a student like myself.

Senior year came around, college acceptances began rolling in, and all I knew was that I wanted to go back to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Badly. I missed home. I missed the city I spent the first six years of my life in. Several Ivies and other nationally ranking schools offered me seats, but I had boiled it down between Harvard and MIT.

Mr. Walker and his family soon took me on a road trip back to Massachusetts, and I remember feeling so relieved to be back in my favorite city - the city that was my home, the home that I had stayed away from for so long. Red leaves littered the old sidewalks, the crisp, cold air flowing past my face, families walking around the vibrant town... In the end, I reluctantly chose MIT. Harvard was too close to home, brought back too many memories. But MIT seemed promising, with its unbeatable physics and engineering programs.

Lin, Miranda, and Little Nicky Walker all came to see me off on my first day at college, but also they brought bad news. I was eighteen, now. I was a legal adult, and Mr. Walker had fulfilled his responsibility to raise me. He was moving away to Los Angeles where his wife had received a tantalizing job offer, and I would be on my own now. I remember feeling disappointed and utterly heartbroken. Mr. Walker hugged me for the first and last time then, and told me I could always visit over breaks, though, and that if anything happened, he should be the first person I reached out to. He said goodbye to me for the last time, then turned and walked away.

Not a real father, I thought. He'll never be like Papa, before I myself turned around and went back to my dorm.

The man who had done so much for me had cut himself away from me. He had a burden and he had gotten rid of it. I would be on my own now.

My years in college were well spent. I flourished in the thriving, competitive atmosphere of MIT and graduated early. I had thought I would stay on the East Coast and work there, but Harrison Wells had changed that by inviting me to work at his lab. Besides, I promised Mama I would not reopen my parents' lab until I had brought Papa's murderer to justice, I thought, who was most likely her murderer too.

I bit the inside of my cheek at the thought of arriving in Central City...

_Central City..._

That was where the other child had lost his mother!, I remembered. What's more - the red speedster from the attack on Thomspon! No wonder he seemed so strangely familiar! Could it be possible that he was the same one from the night my mother had died?

No... I hoped my mind was playing tricks on me, or else that meant I was willfully walking back towards the _same_ being that was there the night my mother had died, and possibly had a hand in killing her.

I nearly spilled my coffee on the train as I recalled something else.

Barry...

What was his last name?

Was it Allen? Was he the other boy who had lost his mother? He definitely seemed old enough, being a few years older than me. I couldn't recall him bringing up his parents, or anything else that could have alluded to an answer.

I was about to pull out my phone and look it up online, but the train suddenly stopped, causing me to look up. Outside, a sign read: " **Welcome to Central City!** " and was decorated with an urban skyline.

I had officially arrived, and was about to begin the next chapter of my life.

Little did I know how much would change.


	4. A New Home

I gathered my bags and walked out of the train station, and unexpectedly saw a trio in the arrival board, standing still and facing _towards_ the train rather than walking away from it. Caitlin, Cisco and Barry were standing together amid the sea of travelers, searching the faces for my own. Cisco held up a large cardboard sign that read "ARTEMIS VAN KLEISS".

Subtle.

I smiled and waved at them as I walked over, my mind still trying to convince me to turn around and go back home to where things made sense and I wasn't confronting the verge of death in confusing metahuman attacks.

Wrong place, wrong time, Van Kleiss, I thought, chiding myself for being so scared all the time. Central City was simply a new place to me, that's all. I was being edgy only because I'd need time to adjust. Everything would be fine.

They noticed me and smiled. Cisco speed-walked over to me and surprised me with a hug. I set a bag down and hugged him back.

"Artemis! So glad you made it back in one piece!" he exclaimed, trapping me in another hug.

"Cisco! It's so nice to see you too! I ... didn't know you guys would be coming to get me," I admitted, as Barry and Caitlin joined us. Caitlin held her arms out to me for a hug too, trapping me in a sisterly embrace.

"Well, _last_ time, you didn't wait for us. This time we thought we'd come early so you wouldn't escape us again," Caitlin admitted, raising her eyebrows as she spoke. I smiled apologetically.

"Well, I didn't exactly _recall_ the fact that you'd be busy saving the city from smoking people..." I explained comically, before turning to Barry, "Hey, Bertie. How are you doing?"

Caitlin and Cisco smiled with me as Barry broke into a smile as well, and rolled his eyes again.

"It's Barry, actually. How was your trip?" he asked, pulling one of my bags away from me before I could react.

"What - dude, give that back! I hate having other people do things for me!" I protested, trying to retrieve my bag from him. He shifted it to his other hand - away from me - and smiled at me. Behind me, someone else grabbed the large duffel bag off of my shoulder. I turned around. It was Cisco. Caitlin picked up my last carry-on and stood with it in front of her, claiming it as her own, leaving me with the smallest and lightest bag.

"Basic chivalry. Friends help friends who just traveled great distances. You have friends back in Cambridge, right, Artemis? Like, people who spend time with you and do nice things with you from time to time?" Cisco teased, as we all turned to walk out of the station and into the parking lot.

I glared at him, then rolled my eyes.

"You really don't need to do this. I was literally going to just hail a taxi or something," I complained.

"How could we not come see you? You're essentially the newest member of our family," Caitlin said kindly.

"Yeah. Dr. Wells is our kind, loving father. Caitlin and I are your older siblings, though Caitlin's gotta be the oldest because she's more mature," Cisco explained.

"What about Barry?" I asked. Barry looked over at Cisco and raised an eyebrow.

"Barry's the kid from across the street who always comes over without an invitation," Cisco joked easily. I turned and smiled at them again, enjoying the warmth I felt from their friendly surprise welcome.

"Besides, not coming to see you would've been extremely rude," Barry said, as we stopped at a giant white cargo van with the STAR Labs logo printed across the sides in dark blue. Caitlin pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the doors to the trunk, where they set all of my bags.

"Is this the STAR Labs van?" I asked, noticing how big and roomy the van was on the inside.

"What gave it away?" Barry asked jokingly, as Cisco gestured for me to sit in the front next to Caitlin, who took the driver's seat. Four sets of belt buckles later, and Caitlin started the car and began pulling out of the parking lot and into the sparkling urban city ahead.

"I meant to ask if this is the van used for your experiments and stuff. Why isn't Dr. Wells here?" I asked, noticing that there were wheelchair accomodations in the back seats.

"Well, today it's the STAR Labs moving van, but yeah. We didn't know how much luggage you'd be bringing, so we assumed the worst." Cisco responded, "For a girl moving to a new place, you barely brought anything. Lucky for you Dr. Wells is looking after your housing and whatnot, or you'd be living be sleeping on the floor if this was everything you brought to your new apartment."

"Dr. Wells is at Cloverleaf already?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. Everything was delivered to his place this morning, but he had it transported to the apartment complex. We got the day off from the lab to help you get settled in. We'll have you fitted into your new place by the end of the afternoon," Caitlin clarified as she drove on. I couldn't help but smile thankfully.

"Awww... You guys are all literally the best. This is so sweet of you," I said, my heart melting at their kindness. Dr. Wells was a good man, I thought, and these were good people.

"So... you glad to be out of college?" Cisco asked with a smirk, "Central City doesn't exactly have as much of a nightlife as a big name university would,"

I turned around to face him and rolled my eyes.

"Please. My idea of 'nightlife' consists of textbooks, test tubes, illicitly conducting experiments in my dorm building for the fun of it, and every once in a while, sleep. I'm the definition of a geeky introvert. And what with these metahumans, I think I've got more than enough excitement in my life. I'm in the right place."

Cisco and Barry laughed at me before Barry spoke up.

"Well, it is pretty thrilling here, but those metahuman attacks aren't to be taken lightly," Barry explained solemnly, "People can get hurt, and you've always gotta be careful, especially as a STAR Labs scientist."

"Yeah, I'm like a superhero or something now. I get it. Thanks, Mom," I teased, before my own words hit me... Superhero... Mom... I was about to ask them about the red alien being and Nora Allen's murder, but was interrupted by Caitlin.

"We're here! Welcome to Cloverleaf, Artemis!" she announced with a smile, as she parked the van. Outside was a beautiful four story French-Provincial styled housing complex. Green lawns lay sprawled throughout the area, with bushes bearing huge, beautiful flowers. A couple chased after a child who was blowing bubbles on the other side.

"It's gorgeous," I stated, mesmerized by the serenity of the entrance area, before turning around to get my bags. Cisco and Barry beat me to them again, each holding two bags. Caitlin locked the car, and the three began to walk into the complex. I slumped my shoulders and frowned.

"Seriously, guys?" I questioned.

"Stop complaining and get used to it. We didn't quite come all of this way to get you only to let you do all of the work yourself," Barry chided, throwing a smirk over his shoulder at me. Caitlin raised an eyebrow at me and smiled, gauging my reaction. Cisco sneered playfully.

"Oh no - my new friends are letting me take it easy after I was stuck in a train all day! I _wanted_ to carry four suitcases by myself! What am I going to do now?" Cisco whined in a falsetto voice.

"I don't sound like that," I admonished, "It's more of a _I-don't-want-to-be-a-burden-on-my-first-day-in-the-city_ kind of thing."

Cisco smiled in amusement, and I followed them through the entrance building and into a larger complex, where several sets of identical six-story buildings surrounded wide, luscious lawns. A huge Roman-style fountain gushed in the center. To the right, I saw what looked like a recreation center with a fenced-off pool and visitor's lobby. To the left was a large two-story building with several windows, and a competitive pool.

Parking spaces near the pool displayed a giant mover's truck, and a few men standing on the sidewalk in uniforms. One was wearing a black sweater and was seated in a wheelchair as he spoke to the other men.

"Dr. Wells!" I called out, hurrying over to him to greet him. He maneuvered his chair to face me and smiled in greeting.

"Ms. Van Kleiss. It's great to see you," he stated warmly, "Glad to see that you made it just in time. We only arrived with your belongings an hour or so ago."

Caitlin, Cisco and Barry caught up with me and watched as Dr. Wells signed one last clipboard and handed it back to the movers. They shut the back of the empty truck and turned to drive off.

"All of the furniture you ordered is already in your apartment. We were just waiting for you before we unpacked it so you could tell us where you preferred to have it placed." He said, as he gestured towards the building behind him.

Caitlin touched the back of my shoulder as she looked up.

"Come on, we'll show you your new place," she said, and Barry and I followed her up the stairs. Cisco went with Dr. Wells to what I imagined would be an elevator elsewhere. We climbed up four flights of stairs, and Caitlin walked over to a door in the corner of the hall. She pulled a navy STAR Labs lanyard and handed me the keys.

"Could you do us the honors?" she asked, her eyes shining happily as she smiled. I smiled back at her and took the keys, inserting them in the doorknob and pushing it away from me when I felt the lock loosen. They followed me inside and watched as I turned on the lights, illuminating a large living room with walls that were a majestic shade of light yellow accompanied with a perfect dark reddish-brown hardwood floor. Huge boxed packages were placed throughout the room. A twin-sized mattress encased in thick plastic was propped up against on of the walls.

"Woah..." I murmured, taking notice of a granite countertop which separated the living room from an elegant kitchen in the back, two bedroom doors on either side.

"You like it?" I heard Cisco ask, as he and Dr. Wells entered the room.

"I love it. This is perfect. Thank you so much."

"No need to thank us," Dr. Wells said, as he ran a hand over one of the boxes, "Just tell us where you'd like the furniture to go,"

"Oh - right," I mumbled, turning around to assess the room. Biting the inside of my bottom lip, I devised a rough floor plan, dictating where I'd like to place the furniture.

"Well, let's start with assembling the dining table first," Caitlin asserted once I was finished, as we both joined Barry and Cisco. The two men unwrapped and set the top part of the table upside down on the ground. They handed Caitlin and me one leg each along with screwdrivers and screws, and within minutes, Barry and I were flipping the table over, and placing it adjacent to the wall, as Cisco and Caitlin began working on the chairs. In under ten minutes, the four of us had completed assembling the dining table set, and Cisco plopped down in one of the chairs. Barry joined him in another chair.

"Wow, this sure is tiring work!" Cisco proclaimed dramatically. I couldn't perceive whether or not he was being sarcastic. Barry turned to us.

"Caitlin, why don't you go take Artemis down to Jitters for some breakfast? We don't want to wear her out," he asked, a small smile playing on his lips. Caitlin smiled back at him knowingly.

"What? Guys, I'm fine! We literally just got started," I objected, confused, "I'm not going to get tired from this. I have three sets of hands helping me."

Caitlin turned to me with her radiant smile.

"Have you eaten yet?" She asked, a motherly tone taking over her voice.

"No. I was gonna go eat later," I confessed. She checked her watch.

"It's almost 9:30..." She asserted, raising an eyebrow.

"Caitlin, I'm fine. I swear."

"No swearing in the house," she reproved gently, "Come on,"

She grabbed me by the elbow with an inescapable grip and walked me towards door.

"What?! No - you can't do this...!" I trailed off, turning to the men for support.

"Artemis, breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Dr. Wells reminded me with an amused smile. Cisco and Barry were smiling like goons at me as Caitlin opened the door with one hand and held me with the other. Right before we were outside and Caitlin closed the door behind her, I saw Dr. Wells turn to the men, as Barry cracked his knuckles.

"What the hell? I could've helped them," I said meekly. Caitlin smiled authoritatively at me before roping her arm through mine, and we walked down the stairs.

"No, it's fine. Let them do some work for a change. They're pretty lazy," she responded. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her.

She made small talk about the unbelievable things Cisco did when he was lazy as we walked down the sidewalk of a familiar urban street and entered a classic-themed Jitters. A small group of students had taken over a table in the corner of the shop, and Iris was in an apron, listening with smiles as a blonde man in a white dress shirt and tie, seated at a table for four, described something to her, an obvious attempt at impressing her. She turned to us when she heard the entrance bell jingle as we opened the door, and walked over to us.

"Artemis! So glad to see you've finally made it! Congrats on the new job!" She exclaimed in a friendly manner before taking me into a friendly hug. She waved at Caitlin.

"Artemis over here is trying to assemble huge pieces of furniture without any sustenance. Can you believe her?" Caitlin said with a dramatic roll in her voice as she gestured to me with her thumb, rolling her eyes,"She _just_ got off the train too."

I turned around and gaped at her in surprise. She winked at me.

"It's not as bad as it seems. I didn't want her, Cisco and Barry to be working all by themselves. They're trying to help me," I tried to explain.

Iris smiled at me again, took my hand, and walked me over to the counter where she grabbed a plate and placed various breakfast items on it with tongs.

"I know your type," she started, still wearing her gorgeous smile, "You dedicated, selfless workaholics. Always putting other before yourselves." She handed the plate to me and led me to the blonde man she was talking to earlier. She sat down in the chair in front of him, and laced her hand through his. He smiled back at her. I seated myself beside her, my stomach awash with awkwardness as I realized I might be third-wheeling.

"Always ready to put yourself in extreme situations to keep others comfortable and safe," she continued, smiling appreciatively at the man. Caitlin joined us and seated herself beside the man, in front of me.

"Hiya, Eddie," She accosted. Eddie smiled back at her and nodded his head.

"Hey, Cait. How are you?" he asked with a warm voice. I used his distraction with greeting her as an opportunity to observe him. He seemed like a kind, reserved man, and he was obviously in a relationship with Iris. He had a square face with a handsome jaw, a fine nose, and sharp blue eyes, with bright blonde hair cresting his head. He had a bit of a stocky build, and I could see he was pretty tall, but not nearly as tall as some other men I had met, including Barry.

 _Including Barry?!_ Where did that thought come from? I dismissed it as my train of thought taking a spontaneous turn, calmed down and held a hand out to Eddie.

"Hi. My name's Artemis," I greeted, "I'm the new physicist at STAR Labs."

"Oh, _you're_ the new scientist. Yeah, Iris was telling me about you. You came down last week, right?" He asked, shaking my hand.

"Yeah, last Friday,"

"Wow, I thought you'd be older," He pondered, crossing his eyebrows slightly in confusion.

"Well, you know what they say..." Caitlin began, swiping a piece of her bangs away from her eyes, "The youth of our nation are the hopes of our future."

"Caitlin, you made that up on the spot." Iris countered with a grin. Caitlin smiled and held her hands up in surrender.

"I did, actually. But it's true," she conceded, pride glowing through her eyes as she smiled at me, "Dr. Wells has been wanting to hire Artemis for quite a while now. She's got a lot to offer to the lab, he says, and I believe him."

I blushed as I took a bite of food.

"You're all making such a big deal about this," I mumbled, embarrassed by the attention, before Iris took her free hand and placed it on mine. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"You serious? Barry was telling me and my dad all about you! You're a _total_ genius!" Iris raved enthusiastically, "Eddie, you remember Laurus Van Kleiss, right? He won a Nobel prize for discovering an element that could practically save the entire world?"

"Oh - for sure. How could I not have heard of him?" Eddie said, nodding like it was obvious.

"Artemis is _his_ daughter," Iris stated.

"Aaaand she just got out of college last week! She graduated an entire _year_ earlier than the rest of her class, _with_ dual degrees, if that wasn't enough for you," Caitlin added, clearly pleased to be bragging about me. Eddie raised his eyebrows at me and the sides of his lips turned downwards in an impressed expression.

"Wow," he declared, "That really is something."

I waved them away.

"It's - it's really not as -" I stammered, only to be cut off.

"Be quiet, and accept the praise. It's not everyday we get to eat breakfast with a prodigy gifted with such intellectual prowess," Iris said, still smiling at me, before turning back to Eddie, "So, you were telling me about Thompson's attack last week?"

My ears perked up at Thompson's name, and I turned to listen to Eddie.

"I'm telling you, Iris, these metahumans are no good. Most of them are fueled by anger, and can't control any of their powers. They have to be stopped once and for all." He explained.

It finally clicked to me where I had seen Eddie before.

"Wait - you were there!" I realized out loud, "You were at the front lines with Joseph West when Thompson was on Treehill Boulevard!"

"Yeah, I'm West's - wait, how do you know?" He asked, clearly surprised by my knowledge.

"I was there too..." I stated, seeing Eddie in a new light. He was in the squadron of police officers who were trying to take him down and actually made the matter _worse_ by agitating Thompson.

"Wait, were _you_ the civilian Thompson held hostage?!" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah... I never received the phone call or the notification to stay indoors."

"Even though Cisco and I repeatedly warned you several times over the phone," Caitlin interjected.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," I protested, before turning to Eddie again, "What did you guys do to Thompson?"

"We planned on imprisoning him at Iron Heights. This wasn't the first time he's attacked. As soon as we got him to the police station, he regained consciousness and disappeared again," Eddie described.

I paused and licked my lips, choosing my words carefully before addressing Eddie.

"I don't mean to be the one to tell you how to do your job, Eddie, but you _do_ realize you were making the Thompson situation worse by aggravating him? He didn't intend to harm anyone - even when he had me, he had cleared an airway through the smoke to let me breathe. He's just confused."

The three of them looked at me with shocked expressions, as if I had just sprouted another head right before their eyes. Eddie looked incredibly offended.

"Please don't tell me you're actually taking _his_ side? He's dangerous. And uncontrollable. All metahumans are." Eddie said, all signs of smile gone from his face and replaced with a harsh doubt as he looked at me.

"I'm actually _am_ taking his side. He wasn't even aware of how his abilities worked, and you had him cornered like a criminal."

"So you're saying we should enroll him in therapy when we see him again, teach him how to master his abilities, then let him free?" Eddie asked in a quiet voice, challenging me, "And even if he _was_ afraid of us, he should have complied with our orders. We could have discussed the issue calmly at the police station when everyone else was safe."

I too adopted a stubborn tone in my voice.

"Why would he have stopped to talk to you when you made it so clear you were hunting him down?" I reminded, looking directly in his eyes, confronting him.

Eddie was about to counter my argument when Iris's hands shot out in front of both of us.

"Guys - please. It's obviously a sensitive matter, but arguing about who did what or what should have happened won't solve anything," She stated, her voice edged with worry. Eddie gave me a cross look, before turning to Caitlin.

"You can't have a scientist at STAR Labs with a soft spot for metas. Make sure she understands that. Because if STAR Labs fails to stop a metahuman again in the future, I know now who will be responsible."

"And Artemis - " He turned to me, "Andrew Thompson _may_ have let you live, but you saw what he was capable of. He _has_ killed others. Other metahumans have exhibited similar abilities. Controlling the weather. Exploding things by merely touching them. Teleporting. Controlling a toxic mist, similar to what Thompson could do. People have died, Artemis. And we don't care what a metahuman's background or intentions are - but we can't let lives be lost again," He voiced. He got up and dropped a kiss on Iris's head.

"Sorry for arguing with you." I said, although my tone was still harsh and stubborn. I was being childish, I realized, and I didn't want the police to be suspicious of me especially if I was working at the lab responsible for creating the metas.

"Not an issue. You're young. You're new here. I'll let it go this time. Just remember who's side you're on," he said, before leaving.

As soon as he left, Caitlin exhaled deeply, and looked at me with shocked eyes.

"Well, that was... intense. You didn't tell us _you_ were the one Thompson had captured."

"Yeah, that's totally crazy." Iris agreed, just as tense as Caitlin. I shrugged at them.

"I support the police and I absolutely value the lives of innocent citizens, but I don't think the police have the right approach to this," I announced.

"Well, what would you have them do?" Iris asked.

"I - I'm not sure. But I definitely _will_ figure something out. Caitlin, does STAR Labs have anything on Thompson?" I asked.

"No... We've been struggling to get samples of his DNA or the smoke that he makes that could help us figure out how he functions." She said, shrugging one shoulder. I nodded my head at her, taking in what she said. The three of us sat in a moment of silence, before I realized I had forgotten to ask Eddie something.

"Guys - there was another metahuman at the scene of the attack that day."

Iris and Caitlin looked at each other, then at me.

"He was red, and he kept reverberating, even when he was standing still. And - he moved impossibly fast. He saved all of me and the police force from Thompson, and took him down."

"The Red Streak," Iris said, smiling again, "I knew he'd be there."

"Do you know anything about him? I have so much to ask..." I stated. Iris looked down at the table and smiled nervously. I thought I saw her cheeks redden lightly, as if she was trying not to blush.

"Actually, I've met him a couple times. I run a blog about him. If you wanted to come over, I could show it to you. I've basically been keeping a published archive of every time he's been seen. I'd love to get your insight on Friday's attack, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I - sure!" I said, handing Iris my phone.

"Can we meet up... tomorrow?" She asked.

"The day after would be better, actually. I'm starting my first day at STAR Labs tomorrow," I explained. Iris smiled approvingly at me, and squeezed my shoulder.

"Awesome. See you Sunday then. I'll text you my address."

"Artemis, should we head back?" Caitlin asked, eyeing my empty plate. I had eaten all of the food Iris had given me.

"Oh shoot - I had forgotten all about moving in! Yeah, just let me pay, and let's go," I tossed the plate away, and walked back over to Iris, who was now cleaning up the counter. She shook her head at me and pushed me back towards the exit as I pulled my wallet out of my pocket.

"Nope - it's on the house today!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, Iris! Not you too!" I complained, as Caitlin chuckled at me.

"Fine - if you want to pay me, visit me on Sunday and we'll discuss what you saw," Iris voiced, "That'll make me happy."

Caitlin and I thanked Iris and bid her goodbye, then laughed as we made our way back to the apartment complex.

"She's so nice. Can't blame Barry for that crush he's got on her. Eddie's a lucky guy."

Caitlin chuckled in response.

"Yeah, from what I've heard, she's been trying to get her editor at the CCPN to consider publishing her blog articles on the Red Streak. But he's not up for it, so she's being stubborn about it."

We continued to talk about other things about the city, and finally arrived back at my apartment. I opened the door to find Cisco and Barry laughing and lounging on a black leather sofa, Dr. Wells smiling in his wheelchair beside them. In the mere thirty or so minutes I had been gone, they had set up the entire living room as I had planned for it to turn out. There was even a television stand across the couch, with a large plasma screen TV docked upon it.

"What - how did you guys do this so quickly on your own? We weren't even gone for an hour!" I asked with surprise in my voice. I walked over to the left bedroom and saw that it too had been neatly furnished with a fully constructed bed and mattress, two nightstands on either side, desk and chair positioned against the wall, facing the window.

All four of them - including Caitlin - smiled smugly at me.

"Guess you two were just slowing us down," Cisco announced with a shrug.

"This isn't even possible." I stammered.

"Well, if you want, we could take it all down and let you do it all again at your _own_ pace," Barry offered. I slumped my shoulders and narrowed my eyes at him.

"That's not what I meant, _Gary_ , but thanks," I said, looking around at my furnished house, before turning back to my friends, "Jeez, this is so awesome of you. I can't thank you enough," I admitted, walking over to Cisco and hugging him. Strangely enough, I thought it would be awkward to hug Barry, so I just smiled at him. I frowned at the television stand, a thought bugging me.

"I don't remember ordering that..." I confessed. Dr. Wells smiled at me.

"Just as I told you last week - Small gift from me to you, on behalf of you starting your work as early as you could." he asserted.

"What - arranging _all_ of _this_ wasn't enough for you, sir?" I asked, as Cisco, Barry and Caitlin laughed.

"Well, I did notice something was missing from your order, so I thought 'why not, Wells?' She's going out of her way to get here early."

I thanked him again, overflowing with gratitude.

"Well, now what? We finished early," Cisco asked. I checked the clock. It read 10:04. I was about to shrug, before I noticed my bags neatly arranged by the doorway.

"I guess I'll just finish unpacking," I proclaimed, walking over to the largest of the suitcases and unzipped it. I pulled out several picture frames depicting my family, and held them in my arms.

"Do we still have the hammer and the nails?" I asked.

Barry gestured to the counter, where there were several tools placed.

"Are you going to need help with that?" he asked, watching as I placed the pictures on the counter.

"Nope! You guys get to take a break now. You've all done more than enough for me!" I stated immediately, knowing that I'd die of guilt if they did anything else.

"Will you need help setting up Wi-fi or anything of the sort?" Cisco offered.

"Cisco, she went to the best technical school in the world. Don't insult her intelligence," Caitlin reprimanded. Dr. Wells smiled at the comment.

"Trust me. I'll be fine," I assured them, before deciding to go back to my other suitcase, where I pulled out towels and bedsheets and other household needs. "I can take it from here,"

"But what do _we_ do?" Cisco asked, still confused.

"You've got the day off. Go do whatever you usually do when you're free," I suggested, opening up a closet and organizing the towels and bedsheets on the shelves.

Cisco looked at Caitlin, then at Dr. Wells.

"But we're never free. Dr. Wells keeps us imprisoned at the lab."

"Then do whatever you _wish_ you could do if you were free."

"But Dr. Wells doesn't let us use our imaginations," he continued. Caitlin eyed him suspiciously with a raised eyebrow. Barry smiled at him, looking bemused. Dr. Wells pursed his lips as he seemed perplexed by Cisco's words.

"Cisco, what are you -" Dr. Wells started, before being interrupted.

"Please, Artemis. Let us stay and help you. Save us from evil, scary Wells," Cisco pleaded, putting on what I assumed was his sad puppy face.

"Oh... I get it," Dr. Wells murmured, realization settling into his eyes.

"You all have done more than enough for me. I can take it from here," I repeated to them, closing the closet door.

"No. What Cisco's saying is true, Artemis. I have an evil, torturous plan cooked up for them back at the Lab. You really should let them stay here with you where it's safe," Wells admitted, cocking his head to one side, trying to read my face for a reaction. Caitlin broke into a smile and Barry gave a light laugh.

"That's enough. If you guys keep begging to help me, I'm going to have to kick you out," I said, walking over to them. I grabbed Barry and Cisco by the elbows just as Caitlin had grabbed me earlier, and led them towards the door. Though both were probably much more stronger than me physically, they allowed me to walk them over to the entrance.

"Noooooooo, we're doomed now. Artemis has betrayed us," Cisco moaned in false agony. I released Barry's arm and opened the door, then made a show of throwing them outside, dusting my hands.

"Seriously? How could you do this to us?" Barry interrogated with mock seriousness.

"Bye Cisco. Bye Larry," I chirped, leaving the door open. I heard Cisco laugh behind me. I turned back towards Caitlin and Dr. Wells, still standing in the doorway.

"I'll walk myself," Caitlin said, raising her hands up in surrender as she turned away from the kitchen, and walked out the door, joining Cisco and Barry outside. Dr. Wells used the joystick control on his wheelchair to drive himself over the front, crossing over the threshold.

"I really don't mean to be rude, but I'm not going to let you guys stay if you keep begging to help me. You've done more than enough, and I truly do appreciate all of your help and kindness, but I can't let you do everything. I gotta pull _some_ of my own weight, you know,"

They all smiled at me. Caitlin stepped forward and embraced me tightly.

"We are so glad to have you here with us," she declared. She pulled away and held me at arm's length.

"If you need anything or want to come over just to say hi, I'm in Building 4, third floor. Apartment number 4310. Dr. Wells will give you the key." she said, before stepping away.

"Dr. Wells will give me what?" I asked, unsure if I heard properly.

"All STAR Labs associates have keys to each other's homes. Just lab protocol, in case, you know, we gotta save each other from metahumans," Cisco explained, before giving me a bear hug. It didn't sound completely honest, but I wasn't going to ask him to explain further.

"Um. Okay."

"We'll usually let you know beforehand if we're coming, and obviously we still respect each other's privacy. Though, if you happen to have Cheesies in your kitchen, and you find that they've gone missing, there's an 84% chance it was me."

"Oh - don't worry. I hate Cheesies. If you ever find a bag at my place, assume they're there _for_ you." I replied. Cisco clapped with glee. I finally turned to Dr. Wells. He pulled something out of a pocket - a lanyard identical to Caitlin's, with four keys and a nametag hanging from it. I took them from him, and the five of us began to leave the building.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, these are yours. Don't trust anyone with them, and keep them with you at all times, though I have a hunch you're already a very responsible person."

I took the lanyard from him. The nametag had STAR Lab's logo on the back, with my name, position and a photo of myself on the other side, though I wasn't sure where Dr. Wells got that photo. Three of the keys were engraved : CS/A-4310, CI/B-7605, AVK/A-1407. The last was not labeled, but had the Lab logo on it.

"I'll come and check up on you later?" Caitlin asked. Cisco and Barry were helping Dr. Wells into the van, and I smiled and nodded at her.

"Sounds good," I agreed, before hugging her one last time. I could already tell her and I were going to become good friends.

"No - wait! Caitlin! Didn't you forget? Today's Friday!" Cisco announced, hopping out of the van to address us. Barry joined him.

"Oh - right!" she recalled, biting her lower lip, as she tried to say something, but was unable to find the right words.

"What Caitlin here is trying to say is that a three of us usually go... hang out... on Fridays. Wanna come with us?" Barry explained, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Sure. Why not?" I replied, before I could think it over and say no. Maybe the city was a lot nicer than its first impression had led it to be. It had to be, right?

"Awesome. We're heading back to the lab now, but we'll pick you up at eight. Shoot us a call if you need anything," Cisco said with a smile, giving me a fist bump.

"Alright. Bye Artemis, see you later," Barry greeted, awkwardly waving goodbye before getting back in the van. Cisco and Caitlin followed up with similar greetings, and I watched and waved them goodbye as they drove out of the complex and back into the city, Dr. Wells smiling at me through the window.

My new friends had helped me move into the city, and had left me with very little to do on my own. My employer, a world-renown scientist and a friend of my parents, had _personally_ seen to my adjustment. Caitlin and Iris were beginning to grow on me, Cisco was really _really_ friendly and had a warm sense of humor, and Barry was kind, although something about him bothered me - I just couldn't tell what. How on earth did the two of them set up the entire apartment in under half an hour?

They probably worked on multiple items at once, I concluded reluctantly, although the answer didn't make sense and I _still_ wasn't able to reach a consensus about how they could have done it in such a short amount of time.

Forget it, I thought. Your friends came in and did so much for you while all _you_ did was eat breakfast, argue with a cop, then kick them out. I promised to thank them again when I saw them later tonight, although I had no idea where we'd be going or what we'd be doing.

Can't be anything horrible, right? Worst case scenario - they'd take me to some freak show circus and they'd find out clowns scared me into peeing myself, although that hadn't happened since I was two - which happened to be the last time I ever saw a clown.

I entered my apartment and plopped down on my new couch, sighing contentedly as I rested my feet on the coffee table.

I'd be starting work tomorrow, I remembered dreamily. Another thing to look forward to - Artemis Van Kleiss, a physicist at STAR Labs.

Things were seriously beginning to look up for me, and I found myself awash with hopefulness and gratitude for everything that had happened that day, for being able to make it this far - for doing something that might make my parents proud of me.

I had no idea how wrong I would be.


	5. STAR Labs

I spent the remainder of the day running around town, visiting grocery and furniture stores in order to finalize my moving in, gathering groceries and extra necessities for my house and whatnot. Around 2 pm, the place was more or less how I wanted it to be.

I showered and settled in for a nap, awoken some time later by a pair of voices whispering outside of my room.

"Cisco - we don't even know if she's at _home_!" a voice that sounded like Barry's hissed.

"Nonsense. What's the worst that could happen?" Cisco responded calmly. I heard a kitchen cabinet creak opened, before it was closed.

"Oh, I don't know - _she could have us arrested for tresspassing_?!" Barry urged, "Come on, we don't even know her that well. Let's not have her hate us on her first day?!"

"Her first day is tomorrow, genius."

Another set of cabinets was opened then closed, followed by Cisco mumbling "Nope, not here either."

I leapt out of bed, and peeked through the barely opened door. Cisco was rummaging around in my kitchen - presumably looking for food. Barry was standing in the living room, hands in his hair, looking very worried and embarrassed. I opened the door in its entirety and stepped into the room.

"Hi?" I asked, surprising them both.

"Oh - hey, Artemis," Cisco tried, closing a drawer, "We came to get you..."

"What time is it?" I inquired, rubbing sleep out of my left eye. Outside, it looked dark. How long was I asleep? Barry checked his phone before responding.

"It's 7:43. This was all his idea, by the way," he requested, "Please don't have me arrested."

"We did call beforehand, but you didn't reply, so we decided to check in on you ourselves," Cisco explained, with a small guilty smile.

I grabbed my phone off of the counter. 12 text notifications from Cisco. 4 from an unknown number I assumed was Barry. One from Caitlin. 23 missed calls total.

"And by 'decided to check in on you ourselves', you mean scour my kitchen for Cheesies?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Cisco smiled and nodded guiltily. I smiled in spite of the situation and walked over to the pantry, retrieving a jumbo-sized bag of the iconic snack.

"All yours, pal," I said, throwing the bag to him. He caught it and beamed, awestruck.

"You are a goddess," he whispered, taking a seat on a bar stool by the counter and opening the bag, "Thank you."

"No prob," I answered coolly, before turning to Barry.

"Name one good reason why you two shouldn't be arrested, again?"

"Because I work at the police department," he blurted, "And not only would I lose my job and probably not be able to get another one after for as long as I live, but my stepdad would laugh at me for this for all eternity."

I laughed at his reasoning and shook my head at him.

"You both are very interesting characters. Where's Caitlin at, by the way? Didn't she say she'd come check up on me? By which, I assume she meant _actually_ check up on me?" I questioned, tossing Cisco a playful glance. He blushed.

"She's up at her apartment getting ready. Which you should _probably_ be doing too, I think," Barry acknowledged.

I looked down and yelped. I was wearing gray pajamas decorated with scientific equations and graphs. I looked back up at Cisco and Barry, and nodded, feeling my cheeks turn hot.

"Good observation. Give me five minutes," I admitted, before turning back towards my room.

"Your hair looks gorgeous, by the way!" Cisco called out in a friendly voice, mouth full of Cheesies.

"Cisco!" Barry reprimanded in a friendly tone. Cisco laughed in response.

One hand immediately shot up to my head, and a small squeal involuntarily escaped my throat as I found my hair to feel like a large dry, wiry mess. It probably looked just as bad, if not worse. I dashed into the room and shut the door behind me, changing out of my pajamas into jeans and an old flannel shirt, throwing a light hoodie on in case it got cold. I slipped my feet into old oxfords, and quickly brushed my rat's nest of black hair, and tied it back in a loose bun.

"When she said five minutes, do you think she meant, like, literal five minutes, or Caitlin's version of five minutes?" I heard Cisco ask.

I opened the door, and went back outside. Cisco and Barry were outside, facing away from me, sharing the Cheesies.

"I mean..." I began as I put my glasses on and walked over to them, surprising them by snatching a Cheesie out of the bag.

"I can always go back in and come back out in Caitlin's version of five minutes if you're unhappy," I said, with a shrug.

"No, no. That's fine." Barry reciprocated, shaking his head at me.

"That was, like, two minutes. Caitlin takes _forever_." Cisco said, rolling his eyes.

"Forever? Please, I honestly don't take _that_ long," a female voice joined in. Caitlin had unnoticeably entered my living room and was facing us in a simple but elegant sleeveless dress. She ran a hand through her hair, "You both left the front door unlocked."

"Hey, Cait," I greeted, before turning back to Barry, "Now, when you said hang out, you meant somewhere other than my place, right? Because I did _not_ change into jeans just to stay at home."

He laughed, then gestured towards the front door.

"Ready when you are."

I nodded at them, grabbed my phone, wallet and keys, then walked with them out the door. As we arrived at the parking lot, I checked out my friends. Cisco and Barry were dressed pretty casually - Cisco in jeans, graphic tee, and flannel, Barry in a dark blue sweater and jeans. Caitlin, on the other hand, had obviously gotten ready for the occasion in her party-style dress. I hoped we weren't going somewhere where I too was expected to show up dressed nicely.

"So... where exactly are we headed?" I reluctantly asked.

"The South Side Dive. It's where you wanna be on Friday nights. Trust me," Cisco replied, pointing a pair of car keys at a sedan parked a few spaces away. The headlights blinked.

"We're going diving?" I asked. I stopped walking and gave them a look of disbelief, "Um. Isn't it a little too late for that? And, um, I can't help but notice we're not really dressed for the occasion?"

The trio laughed at me.

"Cisco, she just moved to the city today. She wouldn't know what a dive is," Caitlin chided in her friendly voice, as she got into the back seat. I joined her on the other side. Cisco took the front wheel, and Barry caught shotgun.

"Artemis, we're going to a dive bar in the south district. Karaoke night today," Caitlin continued. Oh shoot. A _bar_. That explained her dress. Nerves swarmed my stomach.

"Uh. Okay." I responded numbly.

"You're of age, right?" Cisco asked, eyeing me through the rear-view mirror as he drove into a shadier part of town I didn't recognize.

"Yeah. 'Course I am," I mumbled.

"Something wrong?" Barry asked.

"No, no, I'm fine." I responded, faking a smile at him. Truth be told - I had never had a drop of alcohol in my life, and I wasn't exactly willing to start the night before my first day at work. I was just about to tell them that, when Caitlin, who was touching up her lipstick beside me, spoke up.

"Barry, you'll driving us home after? Just in case?"

Barry looked at her and smiled with a small sigh.

"Of course I will, Cait."

"Aight - we're here," Cisco declared after a while, parking his car by a run-down restaurant.

About a hundred or so feet away, a young couple was loudly yelling at each other, slurring their words in total intoxication, before the man hunched over the sidewalk, hands on his knees, and retched, upchucking great orangish-green heaves of vomit. The woman put her hand on his back and cheered him on enthusiastically.

The sight made my stomach churn with disgust. I did _not_ want to be here. I wrapped my jacket closer around myself and reluctantly followed the trio into the building, weaving our way through a room full of high tables lined with bar stools, until we reached the back of the restaurant, where a stage had been set up for karaoke. Two girls were doing a off-tune job of harmonizing a pop song, and people seated around them laughed and talked.

" _This_ is the place to be on Friday nights?" I inquired skeptically, butting in between Cisco and Barry, not hiding my remorse for the loud, shabby place. It smelled pungently of alcohol, and the people were noisy and immodest. Caitlin led us over to four empty chairs near a counter backed by a wall of drinks, a barista waiting to serve.

"Well, yeah. It doesn't look like much at first, but this place is awesome," Cisco answered with a grin. Caitlin had already placed orders for her drinks, and Cisco soon did the same. Barry declined, then all eyes were on me, waiting to see what I'd do.

"Um. I'll have water?" I asked nervously, wanting to strictly stay in my safety zone. Caitlin and Cisco eyed me suspiciously.

"Artemis, it's a Friday night. Loosen up," Caitlin ordered, before swallowing her glass of whatever that was in a single gulp, taking a deep breath afterwards. She immediately ordered another.

"Yeah, what's the holdup?" Cisco asked, taking a slow sip of his drink. "We're here to have fun."

"Yeah, it _is_ Friday, but we have work tomorrow?" I tried, thanking the barista once I received my glass of water. She frowned at me, then turned away.

"That's fine. I don't really drink either," Barry explained, smiling at me. Behind us, the crowd had finally boo'd the two girls off of the stage, and a man in his 40s took their place, nodding his head fervently as a rock song came on.

"Oh. Awesome. You've got yourself an extra designated driver in case you wanna get something to drink too," I offered, though I had no idea how I'd fare if I had to chase after three drunken adults by myself, each of whom I barely knew.

"Nah. It's fine. I know how to look after these two." Barry explained, looking at his friends. Caitlin, it seemed, was already on her third drink. Cisco laughed loudly and punched Barry in the shoulder, the alcohol loosening his inhibitions.

"HAHAHAHAHA. Yeah. This guy has amazing reflexes, I gotta tell you," Cisco announced, "He's just incredible. You wouldn't believe it. The things he can do..."

He clasped Barry on the shoulder, his voice trailing off into joyful giggles. Barry shot him a warning glance, to no avail. Caitlin slammed her glass loudly on the table, breathing heavily.

"Woah, take it easy, Caitlin," Barry warned with a voice full of worry. I watched tensely as Caitlin's hand reached up and lusciously fluffed her hair, her eyes closed.

"No. No, Barry. I needed this. I reallydineed this," She mumbled, her words slurring together.

"Bad week?" I asked. Caitlin took a deep breath before nodding her head at me.

"Ima go get something to eat," Cisco stated cautiously, before getting up. Barry went with him.

"Was it because of me?" I questioned Caitlin reluctantly, hoping Wells hadn't been putting a lot of pressure on my teammates for my sake.

"Oh - no, not at all. Just - crazimmetas," She said, eyes falling back to the table.

"Oh," I answered, noticing how Caitlin wasn't in the mood to talk.

I vaguely learning something about alcoholic beverages affecting the mood, sometimes turning the drinker completely melancholy. I acknowledged Caitlin, and we turned to watch the man onstage finish up his rock song, the crowd clapping as he finished.

"We're baaaaaaack," Cisco announced behind us in a musical voice after a while, placing several large plates of chips and salsa on our small table.

"Woah... How many plates is this? Five? Six?" Caitlin uttered, squinting her eyes.

"Yeah. Seven. This is why you never order food when you're drunk." Barry reported with a sigh, placing the rest of the dishes on the tabletop, "Hope you like nachos, Artemis,"

"Are you kidding?! I love chips and salsa!" I immediately dove for a plate, but a weary-eyed Cisco pulled it away from my hand.

"No. This my plate. Mine. Get your own," he grumbled, hunching over the plate and protecting it in the crooks of his arms. I smiled pitifully at him and reached a free plate. Caitlin had downed another drink. Both seemed beyond conversation at this point.

Barry, however, was still sober.

"Um. So..."

"You having fun?" He asked, putting his smile back on.

"I am now," I responded with a smile, putting a tortilla chip dipped with salsa in my mouth. Barry grinned. I couldn't help but notice his hair was a little different today than the other times I had seen him, carelessly swept forward rather than to the side. It was a nice look on him, I thought.

"You know, even for someone new to the city, you really do seem pretty uncomfortable here," he confessed. I shook my head before answering.

"What? Pshh - no. I love Central City -"

"I meant _here_ here..."

"Oh... right. Guess it's just because this is my first time at a bar?"

"Really, now?" He asked, interested by my little predicament, "You should have told us. We could've gone somewhere else. We'd hate to make you feel uncomfortable,"

"Oh - no. It's fine. I'll be okay. I just don't want to drink anything. It's not an issue," I assured, not wanting him to feel bad. On the other side of the counter, Caitlin was giving Cisco a dead-eyed stare as he guffawed loudly at a joke he presumably made himself.

"So you've never had alcohol before?"

"Nope," I answered flatly.

"I KNEW IT!" A drunk Caitlin proclaimed, focusing her attention onto me as she pointed a trembling finger at me, "No wonder you're not enjoyin' here. She hates havin' fun,"

"What - no, Caitlin, I just -"

"Party pooper," Caitlin muttered, giving me an evil glance, taking another sip of her drink. Empty glasses was beginning to pile up in front of her.

"Jeez, how much did you drink?" Barry asked, worry replacing his smile as he reached over and pulled her hand away from yet another glass.

"Too much. I'm goin' to za bathroom," She struggled to get up, and one of her legs gave way under her. Barry jumped from his chair, and supported her up. She regained what was left of her composure, before throwing me another dirty look.

"Do som'in about her, Burry," She muttered, doing a bad job of trying to sound threatening. Barry gave her a concerned but promising nod before she staggered away.

"Now then, where were we?" He asked, facing me and Cisco, who had turned eerily quiet and was eyeing us carefully, looking rather unimpressed. The house-of-tortilla-chips he had constructed on his paper plate collapsed.

"Bad flirts, both of you," He mumbled, looking up at us with disapproving eyes.

"What?" Barry and I asked in unison.

"'Said yer both bad flirts. Caillen's right. Armis -" He got up, yanked me out of my chair before I could react, pinning one hand on my shoulder to keep me from running away. He grabbed Barry by the forearm and pulled him up too, standing him uncomfortably close to me. Barry tried to protest, but Cisco silenced him with salsa-covered finger to his lips. Barry looked disgusted and confused by the gesture.

"Cisco, what on _Earth_ are you -" I tried to ask.

"Quiet. You're both boring. Tryna help you out," he slurred. He took a long, angry look at the both of us, before his eyes lit up with recollection.

"I'm forget best part," he mumbled quietly with a small chuckle. He quickly grabbed mine and Barry's hands in his own crumb-covered ones, then hit them together, grumbling under his breath. He turned our hands over, as if checking to see what was wrong with them.

"What exactly are you doing?" I demanded in a firm but gentle voice, trying to pull my hand away, to no avail.

He seemed confused. He was drunk - he'd regret this in the morning, right? There was no sense behind his actions?

Cisco finally managed to wrap my fingers loosely around Barry's so we were holding each hands, and stepped back, finally happy with the result.

Embarrassed by the unexpected physical contact, I jerked my hand out of Barry's, but Cisco leapt forward and grabbed it, and began panicking.

"No, no, no, no, no, _no_. You broke it," He wailed in sheer lament, clutching my hand as if it had died. He looked at me with mourning eyes, "Why'd you do that? _Whyyyyy_?!"

Was he about to start crying?

Barry immediately grasped my hand back in between his, purposely avoiding eye contact with me.

"Better?" he asked with hopefulness. The sobbing sounds coming from Cisco's throat ceased, and he looked back at us with cheeks covered in tears, eyes reddening. He wiped a tear away from his eye with a grubby hand, and studied us for a second, sniffling softly as he nodded. I glared at Barry.

"Right... um," I slowly pulled my hands out of Barry's, but he held tight, stopping me with a look of warning.

"Don't," he pleaded, "He'll make a scene."

Cisco was smiling at us like a pleased child, watching us both with wide, slightly bloodshot eyes, hands folded by his cheek. I frowned and tried to pull my hands out of Barry's again.

"He already did. Let me _go_ ," I commanded, yanking my hands out. Cisco was about to object and start wailing again, but was interrupted by Caitlin, who had returned.

"Wha're you two doin'?" She asked, chortling at the sight of Barry and I embarrassed. She walked over behind me, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"Look a'her. She's so new here. STAR Labs' new lil' baby," She gushed, cuddling my head next to hers, "So inn'cent and confoos'd."

My attempts to pull myself out of her arms were hopeless, and Cisco and Barry both grinned at the sight of us. Cisco snickered and stepped forward, tickling me under my chin.

"Awww, shelikesyou, Armis, " he rhapsodized, before placing his head right on top of mine. He pinned his arms around my own, right under Caitlin's. I heard him sniff with his head still on top of mine. I was terribly surprised by the hug, and looked desperately to Barry for help.

"Awww, Burry, she smells so nice too," He praised, before placing his nose back into my hair, "Like flowers. Pretty, pretty flowers."

I gave Barry a pleading look.

"Help?" I moaned. He shook his head and smiled, pulling out his phone, pointing the camera at us.

"No can do. This is a _highly_ critical process as your initiation at STAR Labs. They're catching onto your scent and claiming you as one of their own. Say cheese."

Cisco and Caitlin both repeated _cheeeeeeese_ like kindergartners, pulling me in closer. I rolled my eyes and smiled falsely. A minute or so passed and Barry kept snapping pictures.

As annoyed as I was, though, I felt warmed by their gesture.

"You know, despite the fact that they're both drunk beyond measure _and_ invading my personal bubble, I really do like them," I admitted to Barry.

Barry beamed at us and turned around, lifting his camera in selfie-position. I scowled, unimpressed with Barry thinking this was funny, and my dutiful huggers both gave bubbly giggles and smiled lazily.

 _"Now, then, ladies and gentlemen. That last act concludes our singles and duets for the night. We'll be moving onto group karaoke now. Groups of no less than three, no more than six,"_ a man standing at the stage announced through the microphone, searching through the crowd hopefully. _"Do we have any volunteers?"_

"Ooooh! Oooooh! Oooooh!" Cisco cried out like a child, releasing one arm off of me to wave it wildly through the air, "Pick us! Pick us!"

"Inishi - Initiation! Arremis, this's your righta passage!" Caitlin garbled just as excitedly as she looked at me.

A determined grip on my arm, she wrenched me free of Cisco's hug and walked confidently to the stage. I tried to stop her, kicking my heels into the ground helplessly as she resolutely led me to the stage, with Cisco tagging right behind us, doing a little joyful dance. I felt my cheeks burn hot with mortification as the entire restaurant turned to watch us - Caitlin pulling me with one arm, Cisco pushing my back forward now.

"Ahh, we've got our first group ready, it seems," the host divulged, "Or 2 of the 3, at least."

A collective laugh rose from the audience as Cisco put his arm around my shoulder and leaned on me, the both of us almost falling over onto a proud looking Caitlin.

"And what are your names?" The host asked. Caitlin took the microphone from him and smiled gorgeously at the crowd.

"My name's Caitlin Snow," she announced, standing straight and tall, beaming, her voice unbelievably clear as she addressed the crowd, "An' this here's Arrimis - she's a scientist!"

I had been trying to furtively step back away from the spotlight, but Caitlin quickly grabbed me and pulled me forward to the edge of the stage to show me.

"Isn't she pretttttyyyyy?" Caitlin gleamed. The audience laughed. Barry was trying to hide a smile behind his hand at the counter in the back of the room, where we had been earlier.

I glared at him for thinking getting embarrassed in front of an entire restaurant was something to laugh about. I was pretty sure I had turned tomato red.

"Caitlin, stop..." I begged, murmuring my plea. I didn't want to be on stage, let alone be _embarrassed_ on stage. She apparently didn't register what I said.

"What was that?" She asked, shouting right into the microphone.

"Nothing!" I repeated, snatching the microphone away from her. The crowd was anxiously watching our little feud. I found a voice that wasn't mine and spoke into the microphone.

"Can - can we give Caitlin a round of applause, please? For that beautiful introduction?" I asked nervously.

Lucky for me the audience burst into an amused, supportive round of clapping. An employee placed two more microphone stands in front of us, and Cisco took one.

"My name's Francisco Ramon," he began, speaking surprisingly smoothly. He ran a hand through his black hair, "But y'all can just call me Cisco. Ladies, you can call me whatever and _whenever_ you want."

Some girls in the crowd giggled as Cisco winked at them.

A psychedelic song with a bittersweet tone came on, and the karaoke screen in front of us turned on, reading "God Only Knows - The Beach Boys".

"Oh! Love this song!" Cisco whispered to me, lightly snapping in tune with the beat. I turned to Caitlin, who was gently swaying her body in a small dance.

"I don't know this song. Guys, what do I do?" I hissed, my heartbeat rising in panic from stage fright.

"S'relax 'n read the words." Caitlin responded nonchalantly.

That didn't help me at all.

I looked to Cisco, knowing I'd be making a fool of myself if I continued.

"Don' panic. Just enjoy it. Nobody remembers kar'oke 'nyway," Cisco added, smiling at a table of girls below the stage.

"I can't sing," I pleaded. Cisco frowned at me. Caitlin held her mic up to her face and began followed the words that came up on the screen in a gentle, silvery voice.

" _I may not always love you._

_But as long as there are stars above you,_

_You never need to doubt it._

_I'll make you so sure about it._

_God only knows what I'd be without you_ ,"

The crowd clapped and cheered at Caitlin's performance. I too was beyond impressed. She smiled at me, the glow in her eyes quickly shifting to discomfort as she put her hand to her stomach and suddenly turned ill, looking at me with still fear. I quickly put my hands to her back and arm, and asked if she was okay. Beside me, Cisco gave us a glazed look of concern before reading the prompts on the screen for the next person in a warm, but jittery, voice.

" _If you should ever leave me,_

_Though life would still go on, believe me._

_The world could show nothing to me._

_So what good would living do me?_

_God only knows what I'd do without you._ "

Again, the crowd cheered, and the song took on a brief instrumental number. Caitlin didn't look any better, and was leaning entirely on me for support, turning green in the face. I was about to turn and lead her off the stage, hopefully take her to the bathroom, when Barry walked up and joined us, the crowd cheering loudly. Caitlin turned away from me and embraced him. He put his arm protectively around her, and held her as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. He gestured for me towards the screen, where the prompt for the third person was about to begin. I had completely forgot I was about to sing. I forced myself to relax, and read the stanza that appeared in a quivering voice, trying my best to copy the rhythm of the soft song.

_"If you should ever leave me,_

_Though life would still go on, believe me._

_The world could show nothing to me._

_So what good would living do me?_

_God only knows what I'd do without you._ "

To my surprise, the crowd responded well, clapping warmly. Barry and Cisco both smiled at me, and the last lines appeared on the screen. Barry took the mic from Caitlin's loose grip and sang with Cisco and me in a low, smooth voice.

" _God only knows what I'd do without you._

_God only knows what I'd do without you._

_God only knows what I'd do without you._ "

The crowd burst into their final round of applause and cheer, and Cisco encouragingly squeezed my hand.

"See? Not so bad," he mumbled, drowsy with alcohol. Barry had already slipped off of the stage with Caitlin, nowhere to be seen. Cisco bowed to the crowd, and we got off the stage, the next group of karaoke-ers taking our place. Cisco held my arm in his own, and smiled goofily.

"We gotta bring you here more often," he murmured, eyes drowsy with drunkenness as his other hand played with a loose strand of my hair.

 _Please don't bring me here ever again,_ I prayed.

After about ten minutes of listening to people sing with a befuddled Cisco leaning his head on my arm, Barry returned to us, gently leading Caitlin with his arm around her waist. Her face looked pale, as if she had thrown up, and she looked very _very_ exhausted. Barry carefully steadied her in a chair, then patted Cisco's pockets, pulling out a set of car keys. He pulled Cisco away from me, and held him up under his arms.

"We gotta get these guys home," He asserted, his voice worried, "Could you, um, help me with Caitlin?"

"Of course." I responded, jumping to my feet. Caitlin had slumped over onto the table, and watched Barry leave with sad brown eyes.

"Barry, don't go..." she whimpered, but he was already out of audible range, lugging Cisco through the crowd.

"It's alright, Caitie. I've got you," I said in a kind voice. I took my jacket off and slipped it over her bare arms, and put my arm around her back, pulling her up like I had seen Barry do to Cisco.

"But Barry's only person strong enough," she murmured, stumbling in her heels. I steadied her, then knelt down to remove her stilettos from her feet.

"Strong enough to do what?" I asked, unlacing her shoes from her ankles and lifting her calf to remove them.

"To save me," she said meekly, "To save everyone,"

I smiled at her as I walked her to the exit.

"Well, today _I_ get to be the one saving you," I comforted her, though I had no idea what she was saying about Barry.

He had probably looked after her enough for her to consider him a trusted, responsible friend?

That had to be it.

"You have seed too?" She asked, eyes growing wide with amazement.

"Seed?" I asked, opening the door and guiding her outside.

"So fast," She murmured, looking down and giggling, "I'm barefeeted,"

I ignored her words and guided her over to Cisco's car. Barry closed the passenger side door and walked over to us, holding his arms open for Caitlin. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his neck.

" _My_ hero," she murmured happily, glad to see her friend again. Barry disregarded her words and picked her up bridal-style, turning back to the car. I strode over and opened the backseat door for him.

"Thank you, Artemis," He said, placing Caitlin inside and buckling her up. Caitlin looked at us outside with heavy eyes.

"Bree, she's 'ike you," she mumbled.

"What?" Barry asked, looking between the both of us with confusion.

"She a seed'ter too," she murmured slowly, in awe. Barry blinked at her and closed the door, taking a deep, nervous breath.

"Drunk people, right? Don't know half the things they're saying," He said with a worried laugh, looking at me with an uneasy expression. I smiled in response, unsure of how to react.

"Yeah... Thanks for saving us, back onstage." I said, trying not to blush from embarrassment at the thought of having sung in front of a crowd. I crossed my arms across my chest and looked down at the ground, the awkwardness filling me with a nervous warmth.

Barry gave me a friendly smile.

"No problem. Gotta look after our friends, right?" he said, at ease, gesturing inside the car with a thumb, "This one doesn't get drunk often, but when she does, it can get... worrisome."

I smiled and nodded, looking up at him, admiring the way he cared for his friends.

"Cisco's more or less knocked out. We gotta get them home to bed ASAP," He added, gently touching my shoulder in a brotherly manner before walking around the car to the driver's side.

"Right."

I walked over to my seat beside a dreamy-eyed, hammered Caitlin, who kept looking over at me and whispering "wow" and began asking me strange questions. I squeezed her hand and tried to give her the right answers in a gentle voice.

"How fas' you go?" she asked.

"I can... run a mile in under 6 minutes?" I offered.

"Min's? Barry do that fasser 'n secon's." She lulled.

"No, I -"

"Slow," she mumbled lazily, "Slow furra seed'ter."

"Caitlin, I don't have any seeds," I insisted gently.

"What col'r your suit?"

"What?"

"Your suit. You run wiffa suit?" She asked, closing her eyes.

"A suit? You mean like a track suit?" I tried.

"No, a running suit. Like Barry 'as,"

"Um. I just run in shorts or sweats?"

"Ignore her. She's just asking silly questions," Barry spoke up, "Doesn't know what she's saying." Barry spoke up.

Beside him, Cisco was laughing as he absent-mindedly hummed _God Only Knows,_ with his eyes closed. _  
_

"Oh. Sorry," I apologized timidly.

"It's nothing. She's out of it right now." he said. We drove the rest of the way in silence, save for Caitlin's small bursts of amazement and Cisco's dazed laughter. Barry parked the car, and we both got out. He helped Cisco out from the front, and I pulled a tipsy, barefoot Caitlin out from the back, holding her high heels in my hand.

She began protesting as I tried to support her.

"No-no-no! No runnin'! Don' run!" She begged, fear taking hold of her eyes. I gave her a small laugh as I consoled her. Barry watched us intently, Cisco leaning on him for dependence.

"I won't run away," I assuaged, pulling her to my side, "I've got you."

The look of fear didn't leave her eyes.

"Arremis, I can' walk." She mumbled, looking down at her feet, holding her hands out in front of her.

"It's okay. I can take you -"

"No walk. Don' feel good. Carry me?" she mumured in a soft voice, "P'ease?"

"I ... sure." I complied, seeing no other way to get her to move. She leaned her weight against the arm I had on her back, and my other arm under her knees, groaning as I lifted her off the ground. She was taller _and_ heavier than me, but I willed myself to use whatever strength I had, refusing to drop her and create a scene.

Barry had disappeared unnoticed again, this time with Cisco. I couldn't recall seeing him walk away. Or hear him, for that matter.

I pushed the thought away, focusing on my current dilemma. I tried not to let my knees buckle under the pressure as I slowly carried a dead-weight Caitlin to the familiar lawns that were spread out between the apartment buildings, fountain still gushing in the center. I tried to recall where she had told me she lived earlier in the morning, to no avail.

"Caitlin, sweetie. Where do you live?" I mumbled, my arms quickly running out of strength and going numb. She didn't respond. I asked her again, with the same results. It appeared she had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder. Just my luck...

I grumbled with the weight and walked the long distance over to the elevators by building 4, hoping that it was the right place. The elevator door opened, and I entered, quickly dropping one hand from under Caitlin's legs to retrieve my keys, leaning her sleeping body against myself and allowing my free arm to relax. I held up the keys that read CS, and pushed the appropriate button on the panel. I tried to wake the sleepy Caitlin propped up beside me before the elevator opened. She didn't stir. I cursed softly as the elevator doors opened to the third floor, and I had to lift Caitlin again. I walked down the hallway until I found the door labeled 4310, and miraculously managed to unlock it after what seemed like centuries of missing the lock. I entered a dark apartment, and was about to worry about where I could place Caitlin while I tried to find the lights, when I heard a click behind me. The lights switched on, exposing an apartment larger and much nicer than my own. I turned around.

"Hey," Barry said, closing the door behind us, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I had not seen him anywhere near the elevators. He must've taken the stairs?

"Hey yourself. Do you know where Caitlin's room is?" I asked, more worried about Caitlin than about him. Barry smiled at the two of us.

"Did you carry her the entire way here?" he asked, surprised. I tried my best to gently lay Caitlin on her couch. Barry walked over, knelt down and slowly shook her shoulder.

"Caitlin?" he asked quietly. Caitlin slowly opened her eyes, then startled herself awake.

"Oh my god. I fell asleep?" she inquired, sitting up.

"Yeah... You made Artemis carry you _all_ the way here," Barry said, admonishing her in a soft voice. She looked at me with wide, surprised eyes, then smiled.

"But iss okay. She's s'ong, like you," She murmured. Barry shook his head at her, before putting his arm around her waist and lifting her up so she was standing.

"Could you wait here for a moment?" He asked, not waiting for my response as he led her to one of the rooms, closing the door behind him. I frowned, scary thoughts flying through my head as I wondered why he'd want to be alone with a drunk woman, but he left the room again - in barely a _minute_ or so? - walking to the kitchen.

He had left the bedroom light on and the door open, and inside, I could see Caitlin in bed, wearing light blue pajamas.

She was lazily groping for the comforter that lay folded at her feet. Barry had walked over to her kitchen, and I could hear water running. I decided to go to Caitlin's room help her, and pulled the soft, thick blanket up to her arms. She smiled wearily at me.

"Thanks, Armis," she mumbled. I smiled and sat down by her feet. Barry soon entered the room, holding a glass of ice water.

"Here. You gotta drink this," he said, holding the glass gently to Caitlin's mouth.

"No more vodka," she pleaded, pushing the glass away. He carefully leaned it upwards against her mouth anyway, forcing her to drink.

"You've had _more_ than enough vodka tonight. This is water."

She drank a few gulps before pulling her head back, turning away from the glass.

"No - don't give me any of that. You've got to go to work tomorrow, and Artemis has had _quite_ the first impression of you," Barry warned gently.

Caitlin looked at us both with worried eyes, before taking the glass with shaky hands. She slowly drank some of it before handing the glass back to Barry and leaning back into her pillows. Barry placed the glass on her nightstand, beside a photo of her with a dark-haired man I didn't recognize, and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

"Thanks, you two," She murmured softly.

"No problem. Just... let's not get drunk again, okay?" I asked, placing an arm on her blanketed legs. Barry grabbed a folded jacket off of a chair in the room.

"Is this yours?" He asked.

"Oh - right. Yeah. Thanks," I said, taking my jacket and putting it back on. Behind us, Caitlin appeared to have already dozed off, and we turned off the lights, closing the bedroom door behind us. I sat down on Caitlin's couch, and sighed heavily. Barry handed me a fresh glass of water, and sat beside me.

"Some night, huh?" He asked with a smile. I nodded my head at him, grateful for the water.

"Did you really carry her all the way?"

"Yes, I did. Right when you left, she turned to me and began begging me to carry her, saying she can't walk... So I did," I explained, leaning my head back, relaxing my neck against the couch. Barry smiled.

"That was really kind of you. She'll be thankful for it once she wakes up," he said, looking right at me. I smiled in spite of myself.

"It's nothing. You all did so much for me today. Looking after her and Cisco was the least I could do, even if it was a bit unexpected."

Barry smiled softly in response, before looking away. He exhaled and leaned his back against the couch as well.

"Do you live nearby?" I asked.

"Mmm?"

"Do you live here at Cloverleaf as well?"

"Oh. No, I live with my stepdad," he responded.

"Oh. How will you get home? It's pretty late," I asked.

"Huh? Oh - I'll just walk. It's not far from here," Barry replied.

"Are you sure?" I asked, though I had no idea how I'd help Barry if he said no.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Come on, I'll walk you to your place on my way out," He said, getting up. I followed him out of Caitlin's apartment, and he pulled out a STAR Labs lanyard and locked the door behind us.

"You have a set of STAR Labs keys, too?" I asked, following Barry out of Caitlin's apartment to the elevator.

"Yeah - I'm an authorized guest," He said, holding up his STAR Labs name tag to show me before putting it back in his pocket. I was about to tease him about his hair in his ID photo, then decided to keep it to myself. Another question popped up in my head.

"Hey, Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"Why exactly does Dr. Wells want us to have keys to each other's places?" I asked.

"You're going to be spending a lot of time with Caitlin and Cisco at the lab," he answered, "I'm guessing it's just so you've got each others backs outside of the lab as well?"

"Huh," I asked with a playful edge to my voice, though I still found the answer to be vague, "So you mean, like, when we're wasted out of our minds and need trusted friends to bring us back home safely?"

Barry laughed.

"Precisely. Cisco's not joking when he says the lab becomes like a family," he continued.

"Nice family," I mused, "Are _your_ keys not on here because you're not a scientist at the lab?"

"Yeah. I'm the kid from across the street who comes over without an invite. And also, you know, 'cause Dr. Wells didn't arrange my housing. I've been living in Central City since I was born. Caitlin and Cisco both moved here a few years ago."

"Oh. Nice," I answered. We were back outside now, and I took a moment to ponder over his words.

Barry had lived here all of his life? Then there was definitely a chance he was the boy who had lost his mother, although I chose not to ask him now. He had a small smile on his face, and walked with his hands in his pockets. Even though I barely knew him, I felt an air of strength and security around him. No wonder Caitlin and Cisco were so fond of him.

"Caitlin sure does admire you," I remarked, recalling how she called him her hero and wished for him to be the one looking after her instead of me.

He seemed taken aback by my words.

"Oh, we're not in any type of - "

"I meant as a friend, silly. She really does seem to like you," I granted, "How did you guys meet?"

"Huh? Oh," he trailed off into thought, "Funny story actually. I was one of the people affected by the particle accelerator explosion. I got struck by lightning in my lab at the police department. The cabinet where I stored my chemicals just blew up on me, and caused me to slip into a coma."

I turned and blinked at him in shock, seeing him in a new light.

A _coma?!_

 _"Really?"_ I asked, intrigued by him as we walked around the fountain in the center of the lawns.

"Yep. Apparently the incident caused my heart rate to skyrocket, and no hospital was able to find out what went wrong. I was just blacking out their EKG's. So Dr. Wells offered to take me in, and the three of them were the ones looking after me and -"

He stopped talking abruptly, before smiling at me and continuing.

"Yeah, that's basically it. Nothing beats getting shocked by 28,000 degrees Celsius at a hundred thousand miles per hour, blacking out completely for nine months, then waking up only to be greeted by a couple of strangers and the scientist you've been worshiping all your life." **  
**

I laughed at his description.

"Well, for someone who was struck by lightning, you look _great_ ," I commented, "No burn marks or anything?"

"Nope. Woke up completely unscathed just a few months ago, though I suspect Dr. Snow had a lot to do with that," he explained with a smile, his eyes shining kindly.

"You said you were electrified by your chemicals? Were there any side effects?" I asked excitedly, wanting to know more, "Did you become a metahuman?"

"Nope," he said casually, "Even the irregular heartbeat went away. Now I'm just normal old Barry Allen."

He managed to survive getting hit by lightning, _without_ any physical side effects?!

Was this real?!

"To be honest, I felt kind of weird around you the first time we met though," I confessed.

Barry's eyes twinkled as he climbed the stairs beside me, stopping to face me.

"Guess that first impression didn't go as planned, huh?" He asked playfully.

I gently slapped his arm as he gave a light chuckle.

"No, silly," I answered, "I... felt this really strange energy coming off of you. Like you were just moving faster than me, or something. You kind of gave me a really _strong_ static shock when you shook my hand."

I immediately felt foolish for having said something so stupid-sounding. I wish I had kept my mouth shut.

"I was in a hurry to get back to work?" Barry tried.

"Um. Yeah. That must be it," I tried, "I'm sorry. I - It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Normally, I'd tease you and ask if you shared a drink with Cisco," Barry brought up with a friendly smile, "But you caught me. That's just a minor side effect of the lightning strike and whatnot. I'm still a normal guy, though."

"Getting struck by lightning, saving karaoke night, looking after your friends, walking me home - you're anything _but_ normal," I commented. We had arrived at my apartment.

"I'm sorry, did _Artemis Van Kleiss_ just tell me I was above normal? Wow," He said, pretending to be impressed with himself, "Something's clearly not right here,"

I rolled my eyes, then opened the door.

"Yes. You mistake my words. You're not above normal. You're abnormal," I teased, gesturing inside, "Would you like to come in and get something to eat or drink?"

"Nah, I had enough chips and salsa at the bar," he joked, "And we ate an entire bag of Cheesies earlier, so I think I'm fine,"

"Earlier when you broke into my apartment, you mean?"

Barry was about to protest, but didn't when he saw I was messing with him. He smiled and took a deep breath.

"Yeah. You know, I actually did have a lot of fun tonight." he mused. "You're not _too_ bad at karaoke."

"Thanks," I jested, "But yeah, I agree. Tonight was actually quite lively, even if two of us got drunk out of their minds, I was forced to sing onstage and then had to carry Caitlin home after."

Barry chuckled. I found myself enjoying his company.

"And - sorry on Cisco's behalf for him trying to... you know," he said, shrugging one shoulder. I couldn't read his facial expression in the dark night.

"Oh. Right," I remembered, laughing it off, "Nah, it's no big deal. I'll bug him about that later. He'll regret it when he's sober, right?"

Barry smiled and nodded.

"I hope so. I should go now. See you later?" He asked, before turning away. A small smile played on his lips. I found myself staring at him thoughtlessly. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Artemis?"

"Oh - right. Yeah, alright, see you later. Bye, Mary."

###

I woke up in the morning feeling awfully enthusiastic. Today would be my first day at work.

Today, I would become a scientist at one of the greatest scientific research laboratories in the world.

I walked through the tunnel entrance of the lab practically skipping with childish joy, and was greeted with Barry whispering something to Caitlin in a serious tone at one of the computer desks. She looked alarmed by his words. Both looked up when they saw me - Barry smiling kindly, Caitlin looking away.

"'Morning, Barry," I chirped, walking over to them.

"Hey, she got my name right!" He beamed.

"Absolutely not, Perry," I responded, reaching a hand up and ruffling his hair. He shyly put his hand to his head, trying to smooth out the mess I had made. He only made it worse, which actually made it look much nicer.

"Well then..."

I dismissed him, and turned my attention to Caitlin, who was biting her lower lip as she looked through a file of papers, nervously avoiding eye contact.

"Good morning, Dr. Snow," I greeted in a low voice. I was doing my best to hide an evil smile, which wasn't working.

"Good morning, Artemis," she responded solemnly, looking away, lips taut.

"Trust you had a good night's sleep?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She gave me a quick nod before leaning in and whispering in complete seriousness, giving in to whatever was holding her back.

"Artemis, I am... _beyond_ words for my irrational behavior last night," she confessed, "I don't know what got over me, and I am _so_ unbelievably sorry for what you saw last night."

I blushed, feeling guilty for putting her on the spot.

"Actually, it's fine. You've done a lot for me this past week. Yesterday wasn't as bad as you think it was," I explained sheepishly, trying to console her.

"Really? Because I don't remember much, and Barry said I made you -" she tried to argue.

"It _wasn't_ as bad as you think it was. I'm more than glad to be able to look after you," I urged, putting my hand on top of hers, "I had fun. Really,"

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Really," I answered, smiling confidently at her.

"Wow, such an emotional moment between STAR Lab's scientists," Barry teased. I faced him and was about to counter him with a lighthearted comeback, but was interrupted by the sound of two people entering from one of the back rooms. Dr. Wells wheeled himself into the room, and Cisco followed beside him, whistling the song from last night. He stopped and smiled when he saw us.

"Hey, Artemis," he accosted, walking over to Caitlin's side of the table, where he laid several tools out.

"Good morning, Cisco," I greeted, over-enthusiastically, giving him a harsh glare.

"Morning, Dr. Wells," I said, in a kinder voice. Dr. Wells acknowledged me with a solemn nod before wheeling himself off to one of the other tables.

"Uh-oh," Cisco mumbled, looking slightly afraid, "If this has anything to do with last night, I promise to pay you back for whatever I broke or damaged."

"Oh, don't worry. You didn't break anything. Just promise me you won't force me to hold hands with someone, and you'll be forgiven for all else."

"I made you hold hands with someone? Who?" he asked, perplexed, "And _how?"_

"Me. You literally just took our hands and continued to smash them together until they met in a handhold," Barry scolded gently.

Cisco raised an eyebrow, and looked back and forth between me and Barry.

"Why didn't you guys just stop me?" he asked, as if it was obvious.

"Oh geez. That's such a brilliant idea. I totally should have tried that, except for the fact that you sort of started _crying_ whenever I pulled my hand away," I explained sarcastically.

Cisco froze and took a look back at me. A smile played on his lips and he crossed his arms.

"So... I got you two to hold hands?" he smirked.

"Yes?" Barry replied, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing," Cisco responded coolly.

"What? _It is_! It's totally not cool to _just_ force two unwilling people to flipping hold hands because we're bad flirts," I flared, keeping my voice down so Dr. Wells, who was typing on a computer at the other desk, couldn't hear.

"Well maybe if you two were _good_ flirts, I wouldn't have had to step in and help you along," he remarked nonchalantly in a small voice.

I felt my cheeks grow red.

"Cisco, we weren't flirting," I protested, trying to keep my voice even. I heard Caitlin stifle back a laugh in her lab.

"You're blushing."

"Of course I'm blushing. You're putting me on the spot," I declared, not wanting to lose my cool. I turned to Barry, who was taking it much more calmly than I was, "Help me out, would you?"

Barry seemed shocked by my sudden request, then regained his composure.

"Oh, right - yeah. Just - just _don't_. Leave us alone, or, something," Barry attempted.

"Leave us alone? That's the best you can do?" I asked in disbelief, "He's making fun of us despite the fact that we're the ones responsible for him getting home safely - _you're_ the one responsible, actually - and the most you can come up with is 'leave us alone'?"

"Maybe you two _do_ need to be left alone," Cisco taunted, a playful edge to his voice, "Some privacy, perhaps? So you two could go and perfect your flirting?"

I widened my eyes at him.

"Cisco, I literally just met him last Thursday."

"That doesn't matter to _him_. The guy's heads over heels for you already," he asserted, lifting his chin up in confidence. Cue Barry's turn to redden.

"What?! Dude, what are you -" Barry attempted.

"Bruh, I can't even get his name right. Are you out of your puny little mind?" I interrupted.

"She - she can't even get my name right. Come on!" Barry repeated, steadying his voice.

"But you find it cute," Cisco noted, tilting his head. Barry opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, shaking his head with disapproval at his friend.

"He's doing this on purpose just to get under our skin. Don't give it a second thought," Barry pointed out. He checked the time on his watch, "Ahh, gotta run. Joe's waiting for me."

"Alright, be safe," Cisco said to his friend.

"Bye, Dr. Wells. See ya, Caitlin," he said, slipping his brown coat over his gray sweater. He turned to me and was about to bid me farewell, before I interrupted him.

"Your tie is kinda crooked," I stated. He reached his hand up to his collar under his sweater, feeling his tie. He fixed it, then addressed me.

"Better?" he asked, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"Mhmm," I responded awkwardly, knowing very well that everyone in the lab, maybe Dr. Wells, was watching us now.

"Aight. See ya, Artemis," he said before leaving. I nodded my head in greeting, and Barry disappeared down the entrance hallway. Cisco was watching me with disbelieving eyes.

"You know what you _should_ have done?" he murmured.

"What?"

"Gone up to him and fixed his tie yourself. Guys love that stuff," Cisco advised coolly.

I pursed my bottom lip and leaned my head to one side, eyeing him malevolently.

"Oh, I am going to have _so_ much fun with this," he concluded, focusing his attention back to the pieces of metal lain across the table. I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in front of me, so his face was looking directly at mine, startling him.

"I ripped the skin off of a kid's face once," I told him in an easygoing voice, adding a smile for effect, "Poor guy needed 26 stitches. My foster parents weren't too happy about paying the bill."

Cisco looked at me with a fresh, new-found fear.

"I like you, Cisco. And I like Barry too. You're both good people. And so far, I'm a good person in your eyes too," I added, "Let's... _not_ change any of that, okay?"

Cisco drew his mouth tight and gave a small nod, before I released him.

"Feisty. I like it," he pronounced.

I rolled my eyes and dismissed him.

"Ms. Van Kleiss?" a voice behind me asked. I turned to see Dr. Wells waiting in his wheelchair, one hand at his mouth, watching, "As entertained as I am by your interactions, we've actually got work to do today."

I stood up straight, and nodded.

"Cisco, have you shown her around yet?"

"Umm. No..."

The look in Dr. Wells' eyes grew slightly annoyed, though he hid it well.

"See to it, then,"

Cisco put his tools down, then gestured for me to follow him.

"Alright, well this whole wing is basically the Cortex. Caitlin's got the medical wing under her control,"

"In case anything happens!" Caitlin called out.

"Which ... usually doesn't!" Cisco agreed.

"There's also the medical labs, where she does her bioengineering/geneticist magic. I'm pretty sure Wells hired you to work as a bridge between us, since you've got expertise in both of our fields and could totally revamp our work,"

Who's to say I wasn't here to take over their work? I thought in a playful, snarky voice.

"Yep. I'm a jack of all trades," I agreed. Cisco walked me through some halls, pointing out various labs and whatnot. We passed by a door which he ignored.

"Wait - you forgot about this one," I pointed out, stepping back and turning the handle.

"That's - nothing in there!" Cisco said, stopping me and pulling my hand back.

"What?" I looked confused.

"That's the shadowy place. You must never go in there, Simba. Old running joke about that room being haunted," he assured.

"Cisco, I'm not afraid of ghosts," I stated, although that was a lie, "Can't I just see what's in there?"

"No need. It's just a room full of senseless junk," he indicated.

"Then why aren't we using it as a lab or a testing space?" I asked, "Or storage?"

"Huh. Good idea. I'll confer about that with Dr. Wells later," he stated.

I couldn't shake the feeling they didn't want me in here. No, maybe I'm just being tense. These are decent people, I reminded myself. They won't keep secrets. Cisco led me over to an elevator. I followed him inside and he pressed the second button. The elevator _ding_ ed and we stood there in awkward silence before he spoke up.

"So ... you're not actually going to kill me, right?" he pried.

"I'll try not to, but if you insist, then I'll have no choice," I answered plainly, smiling so he knew I was joking.

"Did you seriously give that kid stitches?"

"No. The doctor gave him stitches. _I_ shoved his face into tanbark," I recalled, remembering how gruesomely I had ripped the boy's sorry little face.

"Damnnnn," he murmured with an impressed smile. The door opened up, and I followed him outside into a small hallway.

"Cisco - please. He was not the only one," I announced. Cisco led me through a hallway lined with closets.

"What - did you beat up his friends too?" he asked with an anxious laugh.

"No. They probably ran away. I was a pretty violent kid..."

"Really now?" he questioned, looking surprised.

"Yup. I was terrible."

"Yeah, I read your police reports, actually," He said, looking over at me with an impressed smile, "You've cleaned up nicely,"

"Oh?"

"17 accounts of minor felonies in two years? Then going on to graduate as both college and high school valedictorian? Come on..." he joked, stopping at a large double-door. He opened it with the STAR Labs key, unlocking a room lined with blue walls, roughly the same size as a warehouse.

"This here's our basement," he said with a smile, "It's where all the fun stuff happens."

"Like what?" I asked, walking inside.

"Tests,"

"For?"

"STAR Labs stuff,"

"Such _as?_ " I asked, annoyed by his ambiguity.

"We test out weapons we make here. Ways to stop metahumans, particle runs, that ish. We can't do a lot of the good stuff anymore because the city's labelled us a class four hazardous location because of the particle accelerator blowing out, but we still have our moments."

"What?" I asked. I knew the lab was in poor condition because of the explosion that happened, but I had assumed it was more or less still thriving, "You're not able to conduct major experiments anymore?"

"No. We lost a lot of money to lawsuits and whatnot too. We had to file for bankruptcy. We're not what we used to be anymore."

"Bankruptcy? But Harrison Wells is supporting us ... really well," I stated, remembering my starting six figure salary.

"He's pretty financially sound. He was pretty famous before the accident, but now, people tend to see him as a martyr," Cisco explained sadly, "He's just working with what he had made before,"

"Oh..." I felt sorry for Harrison Wells. In my eyes, though, he was still a respectable genius, even if the public didn't think so.

Cisco showed me the closets we had passed on our way in, most of them used for storage, supplies and old parts. We passed windows overlooking a huge, dark open area several stories below us, surrounded by metal panels for walls.

"That's the particle accelerator. Wanna check it out?" Cisco asked.

I turned to him in surprise.

"We can go down there?"

"Uhh, _yeah_ ," he said, as if it was obvious, "Come on," he urged, smiling.

We walked back to the elevator, my heart beginning to race a little. I had _severe_ admiration for the particle accelerator and Harrison Well's work on converting black energy into something sustainable. I had studied his particle theory for years, in awe of his discoveries and findings.

Now, I'd be able to go see them myself. I wanted to giggle like a small child.

The elevator opened, and Cisco led me through some rooms into the openings we had seen from the basement. It seemed more or less like an underground racetrack, circling around what must have been the entire laboratory above ground, with wide, metal panels for walls.

We must have been at least ten stories underground, I realized, looking up.

Underground. That's the _perfect_ place to execute work such as this, I realized, although up ahead I noticed an area that seemed different from the rest. It had been repaired, I perceived, and the roof above it had been as well.

"That's where the blast happened," Cisco explained dismally.

"Oh..." I turned and looked at him. He had a wistful look on his face, as if he was recalling the memory, how everything happened. He looked up at me and the expression melted, replaced with his usual, chill smile.

"Wanna see the metahuman prison?" he asked.

"Oh my god - can I?"

"Heck yes!" He said, and he led me back inside the building, past a control room, and into what appeared to be the core of the accelerator - adorned with brightly-lit orange and blue panels. Cisco walked over to an energy chamber - a small cell lined with metal, one side open, facing us.

"Those are the core particle chambers. Since the metahumans started attacking, we've been using the chambers to lock them up in here. They're inescapable."

" _Inescapable_?" I asked, challenging his words with a small smile.

An wicked smile appeared on Cisco's face. He held one arm out towards the chamber.

"See for yourself," he offered.

I raised an eyebrow at him and walked into the chamber. Cisco worked through a panel, and a clear door shut behind me. I turned and knocked on it. The material was something much stronger and denser than glass. I felt the walls. This wasn't any ordinary metal. This cell was radiating an unfathomable amount of energy, putting intense pressure on my own energy levels. Even _without_ the walls holding me in, I was trapped ability-wise.

"What are these made of?" I asked through the clear door, facing Cisco.

"Palladium-based glass. Each cell is reinforced with an 8.3 tesla super conducting magnet on the barriers, walls, floors and roofs."

" _8.3_?" I asked in awe.

Cisco smiled and nodded.

"That's almost a hundred times stronger than the force of Earth's own magnetic field!" I declared, amazed by the cell around me.

 _"Cisco, why on Earth is Artemis locked up in the pipeline?"_ Dr. Wells demanded over an intercom.

"Sorry! I was showing her the particle chambers!" he yelled at nothing in particular.

"They can _hear_ us?" I whispered with my face against the clear doors, even more surprised. Cisco chuckled.

"There's cameras in every corner of the lab, Artemis. An alarm in the Cortex must have gone off, signifying activity in the pipeline," he described, working the chamber's control panel outside the cell.

The clear door split in half horizontally, both halves zooming up and down to let me out. I exited.

"This place is _seriously_ awesome." I said in a low, but thrilled, voice. Cisco laughed and clasped me on the shoulder.

"Trust me, it's even more exciting working here. Let's go back up to the Cortex so I can show Dr. Wells you didn't die."

I scoffed at him teasingly and we went back up to the Cortex, where Dr. Wells was discussing something with Caitlin in the medical labs.

"This clearly is very strange. I never thought I'd see Bar-"

"Dr. Wells?" Cisco announced, "We're back?"

"Good to hear. Have Artemis help you with your current project. I need to discuss something urgent with Dr. Snow. Caitlin, may we review your results more privately, please? In my office?"

"Sure," Caitlin piped, and the two of them headed over to Dr. Wells' office, Caitlin holding several sets of files. Cisco and I watched them shut the door behind them, before he nodded at me and I followed him over to the desk where he had been working earlier.

"So - there's a new meta in town," he deliberated, pulling up images on the computer. "Name's Rajeet. He's a former performer for the Central City Circus, before it shut down. Sources and security cameras have picked up images of him appearing to have telekinetic abilities."

Cisco played security footage of a frail Indian man wearing a shendyt - an Egyptian-style male skirt - knocking security guards out by having their bodies thrown against walls, and out of windows.

"I've never heard of him before," I said in a small voice. Cisco cringed.

"You must not be keeping up with the news, then..."

I nodded my head no. Cisco played news reports telling horrifying stories of a skinny man seen around town, able to lift people and objects telekinetically. I turned to Cisco.

"All of his powers seem to come from his mind. We just need to build something to knock him out, or atleast frazzle his brain waves."

Cisco got up and went into Caitlin's lab, returning with files.

"Caitlin's been doing some research on cranial electrostimulation. This is all we've got so far," he said, laying the files out onto the table. I flipped through a few of them.

"Electric signatures," I noted.

"What?"

"Electric signatures. A body cannot function without electric signals running through it, and the brain is the electric powerhouse. This guy clearly has brain waves that are far too powerful for us to control them from the outside," I said, playing one of the videos of Rajeet terrorizing a jewelry store.

"No physical attack can get to him if he sees it coming. This is why your police forces haven't been able to stop him. But once you distract him, or launch a surprise attack -" I paused and worked out some math, "You'd have to hit him with electric brain waves that will cancel out his own, and wipe him out."

"So you're saying we should -"

"Create something that will shoot him with replicated brain waves, ultimately confusing his primary motor cortex, which will disable him, and hopefully his occipital lobes as well. Those are used to register images received from the optic nerve. Or you could just somehow try to blind him - that'd be a lot easier on our part. But confusing his brain would be the safest bet if you couldn't reach him, or if he somehow saw you first," I analyzed.

Cisco had been listening to me intently, chewing on a pen.

"How on earth did you figure _that_ out?" he muttered in perplexity.

"What do you mean?" I asked, drawing up calculations on a sheet of paper.

"Caitlin and I have been stumped by this guy for a week or so now... You... actually came up with something sensible," he stated, still astonished.

I shrugged, and Cisco and I began designing a weapon that would do as we had planned, discussing measurements, computing the right calculations, working out the functionality, making small talk. We commenced the actual building of the machine, myself having worked out the proper physics that could artificially recreate brain waves.

"Yo Cisco," I called, soldering together the circuit we formulated would work best to run the electric charge.

"Hmm?" he responded, working on another mechanical aspect in the other side of the room.

"I've heard some shady stuff about this place..."

Cisco stopped working and flipped his welding mask up.

"Like what?" he asked, concern on his face.

"Andrew Thompson told me STAR Labs captures metahumans, and that they're never seen again after they've been caught."

"Andrew _Thompson_?"

"Yeah, the smokey ghost kid," I answered, "He was seen last week, remember?"

" _Seen?_ He was about to cause an entire city block to die from suffocation."

"Which was beyond his control."

Cisco sighed at me, and put his welder down, crossing his arms over his chest. He had done an apt job of chastising me over the phone for not staying inside like he had told me to and instead coming in harm's way, where he said I could've died. He had become extremely worried for me once he found out Thompson had used me as his hostage.

"No. That's wrong. We're not bounty hunters, or anything. We just try to keep the city safe," he asserted.

"What do you do with the metas down in the pipeline?" I asked, intrigued by the situation. Cisco scratched the back of his head.

"Nothing, really. We just leave them there."

"You're not trying to, you know, restore them back to their normal selves? Take away their abilities? Make them human again?"

Cisco scowled at the ground in thought, before answering me.

"Artemis, as far as we know from our research, the particle accelerator explosion has genetically and permanently mutated their DNA, giving them the metahuman gene. It's not something we'd be able to change. We'd have to genetically realter them again," he stated, "In a sense, we'd have to reverse engineer the explosion, and create it again."

"What about for just an individual? Can't you just study one of your metas and then figure out how to create a synthetic genetic structure to replace their metahuman one?"

"I've never really thought of that, before. We don't really focus on that part. We just design the tech needed to bring them down. But you should definitely bring that up with Dr. Wells?"

"Along with the haunted room?" I asked, teasing him.

Cisco smiled and took a deep breath.

"Go for it. He'll probably say the same thing. That room just... isn't for us."

I decided not to push Cisco for more answers, and we continued working on the task at hand for the next few hours.

"Oh, by the way -" he announced, turning back and giving me an ear-to-ear smile.

"Yeah?"

"That was a _dope_ nickname you came up with."

"What was a dope nickname?"

"The name you came up for Thompson - Smoke Ghost? That is seriously sick," he beamed. I smiled back at him.

"We give metahumans nicknames?"

"Heck yes! We've got a full archive running, dude. I'll show it to you later - it's pretty epic, if I do say so myself."

"Why the heck not? I'd love to check it out later."

"Yeah... Smoke Ghost... We learn something new about you everyday, don't we?"

"We do what?"

"First we found out you're a Van Kleiss, then we learn you hate listening to others. Yesterday we learned that you hate letting other people help you and that you're a nonalcoholic who can improvise singing like a pro. Today we learn you're ruthless at putting others down, whether its childhood bullies, creepy telekinetic psychos or even just me with my senseless teasing, and _now_ we find out you're good with nicknames."

"Oh please. And besides, is coming up with nicknames really that hard? I literally just call Barry anything that ends in -arry."

Cisco was about to say something when the door to Dr. Wells' office opened. He emerged in his wheelchair followed by a worried Caitlin, who was clutching the files closely.

"Dr. Wells! Look what Artemis came up with!" Cisco blazoned, running back to the table in the Cortex and picking up the papers we were working on. He handed them off to our leader, smiling widely. Dr. Wells read through the calculations and the sketches. His eyebrows knit themselves together, though I wasn't sure if it was from intrigue or disappointment.

"Synthetic brain waves to cancel and nullify his own - this is incredible," Wells mused.

"Let me see," Caitlin asked, holding her hand out to Dr. Wells. Wells passed the papers onto her. Caitlin flipped through them.

"How did you come up this? How did we miss this - we've been trying to figure out a way to bring him down for days now!" Caitlin said, astounded, "Paralyzing his primary lobes - Artemis, this is genius! This - this will minimize surrounding damage without anyone getting hurt!"

"Everyone save for Rajeet, that is," I said with a small laugh. I felt as if I was glowing on the inside. This was literally such easy work, and my teammates were impressed.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, this - this is why you were hired. You're going to bring this lab back to its former glory. I know it," Dr. Wells stated with an actual smile.

"Have you guys had lunch?" he asked. Cisco and I both shook our heads no.

"Long day working, huh? It's almost time for you to go home. I wouldn't mind letting you off early today," Wells offered in a kind voice.

"Oh, no. It's fine. Cisco and I are almost done building the machine, anyway." I said, signaling towards the large gun-like device on the worktable.

"You built that wearing _that_?" Caitlin demanded in a surprised manner, signing towards my blouse and dress pants, now smudged with small grease stains. I shrugged.

"I didn't really have any other option?" I admitted. Caitlin frowned and turned to Cisco.

"You didn't give her her lab coat?" she asked in shock.

"Sorry - I kind of -"

"Cisco, not everyone dresses like they're going to go play in the dirt. Please," She said, kind of annoyed. She went into her lab and returned holding a lab coat.

"This is yours. I don't need to remind you of lab safety, do I?"

"No, ma'am." I answered, putting the coat on.

"Well, if you wish to finish your work, I won't stop you. I'll be in my office if I'm needed - I've got a few phone calls to make," Dr. Wells proclaimed before wheeling himself back into the room.

"Financial stuff?" Cisco asked. Caitlin nodded her head reluctantly. She sighed and took her files back to her lab. The three of us worked in silence for the rest of the day, until Cisco and I finally finished building the gun.

"Dude, this looks so sick!" he cheered, proud of the apparatus lying polished on the table. He held it up, and aimed it.

"What are we going to call it?" I asked. Cisco pulled the trigger on the device, which was about as big as his entire arm. A large shock of purple lightning left the muzzle, travelling halfway across the Cortex, the blow pushing Cisco back.

"Oh god - that was awesome!" he moaned on the ground. I helped him up.

"That'll definitely do the trick," he said, dusting the knees of his jeans off.

"Don't fry one of the computers!" Caitlin called out behind her lab window.

"This thing can't fry anything other than a human brain," I told her, "So just keep it pointed down at the ground please."

Cisco placed it back down on the table, then groaned as he stretched his arms.

"We'll call it the Shocker. Let's run tests on it tomorrow in the basement. I wanna go now - I'm starving," he replied, yawning.

"Agreed," I said, and the two of us were about to leave through the entrance tunnel when Caitlin called out to us.

"Did one of you guys leave your keys?" she asked, walking over to one of the tables in the Cortex.

"No," I answered, as Cisco and I pulled lanyards out of our pockets.

"Oh - nevermind, these are Barry's. He must've forgotten them here when he came to visit in the morning," she stated.

"I can give them to him. I'm walking home anyway. The police station is right up along the way," I said, walking up to her and taking the keys from her.

"You sure?" Cisco asked, "I could do it."

"It's fine," I said, turning back towards the entrance, "Bye, Caitlin. See you tomorrow. Give Dr. Wells my regards."

"Sure thing. See you later, Artemis," Caitlin said, smiling warmly. Cisco and I walked out to the lab's parking lot, where we both said goodbye before parting ways - me going back home, him somewhere to eat.

My first day at work had gone rather well. I looked forward to testing the Shocker the next day.


	6. Operation Fourth Wheel

The walk to the police station was much quicker than I thought, and I took an elevator up to the CCPD lobby, entering an elegant office-style area with gold marble floors. To my right was a huge Greek carving, engraved with a set of seven deities standing above the words **_"Truth - Liberty - Justice"_** with a bald eagle in the background. Several cops and staff members were milling around. I approached an officer who was overlooking files with a receptionist.

"Excuse me - sorry to disturb you, but would you happen to know where I can find Mr. Barry Allen?" I asked politely.

"The, uhh, CSI kid?" the cop asked.

"Yes."

"Does he have an appointment with you?" the middle-aged receptionist queried, craning her neck to look at me.

"No. He forgot his keys at STAR Labs. I just thought I'd return them to him?"

The receptionist studied me uncannily for a minute, before speaking up.

"He's upstairs at the forensics lab. And give these to him too while you're there, would ya?" she snapped, handing me a fat packet of mail labelled for _Mr. Bartholomew Henry Allen_.

 _Bartholomew_ Allen?

Oh, this was _gold._

The officer smiled and pointed me to a set of stairs by the side of the building. I thanked them both and left.

The stairway led me to a huge room with even huger windows overlooking the city below. It was more of a small hall than a room, I realized, seeing how the long room was filled with long tables and counters, each littered with papers and lab tools. Near the right was a map of the city hung upon a board. To the left were various cabinets, and counters against the windows contained sinks and bunsen burners and whatnot. Barry was seated at one of the tables in lab coat, holding his cell phone against his shoulder as he mixed liquids in a beaker with gloved hands.

"You locked her up in the _what?_ " he asked with a disbelieving laugh, speaking into his phone. The voice on the other end spoke for a few moments before Barry responded.

"Synthetic brain waves? Huh..." he said in an amused voice. I realized he must be talking to Cisco. Barry finally took notice of me waiting in his doorway and smiled at me. I waved back at him and held up his mail and keys.

"Speak of the devil and she appears. Cisco, I gotta go... No, seriously. She's _here_... Alright. _Bye."_

Barry hung up and gestured for me to enter.

"Special delivery for a Mr. _Bartholomew_ Henry Allen?" I announced sarcastically, walking over to Barry and handing him his mail.

Barry gave me an embarrassed, guilty smile as he sifted through the envelopes.

"Well, _Bartholomew,_ nice setup you've got going on here," I commented, taking a look around. Truth be told, his lab was a bit shabby and cluttered, but I didn't mind. I rested my arms comfortably on the tabletop.

"Thanks. I slice open corpses at this table, just to let you know," he admitted with a nonchalant grin. My stomach took a small turn as images of rotten bodies flashed through my head, but I forced myself to swallow my fear and continue talking to Barry.

"You work as a coroner too?" I asked curiously. Barry smiled and took his finished chemicals over to the counter by the window.

"Kind of? I mostly stick to forensics and CSI, but obviously I do some coroner work too if its ever necessary," he explained, turning away to wash the chemicals out.

"Nice. The cops downstairs call you the 'CSI kid'," I mused.

Barry gave a light laugh.

"Yeah... I'll always be Baby-faced Barry to them, no matter how old I get." He removed his gloves and lab coat, and walked back over to the table and sat across from me.

"Ouch... I can relate," I replied, "It's really no fun being the youngest _and_ shortest person in the room."

Barry gave me an easy smile.

" _So._... how was your first day at STAR Labs?"

A smile broke out on my face and I eagerly began babbling.

"Dude - you would _not_ believe how spectacular it is! Cisco gave me a tour of the lab and showed me the particle accelerator, and he even locked me up in the pipeline, which was actually really _really_ cool, and then we worked together to figure out how to stop this creepy guy named Rajeet and we built this super cool gun called the Shocker, and we're gonna test it tomorrow and I am _so_ stoked about it!"

Barry's eyes twinkled as he chuckled at my reaction.

"Yeah, that's more or less what Cisco was telling me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, although he's convinced you have a hidden talent for coming up with nicknames for people," Barry idled, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, he's absolutely right about _that_ , Terry."

"It's Bartholomew," Barry corrected jokingly. I rolled my eyes and smiled at him.

"How long have you been a forensic scientist?" I asked, though I only did so in order to try and figure out Barry's age. He was definitely a few years older than me - I just couldn't discern by how much.

"Somewhere between two and three years?" he answered. So around 24 or 25 years? Assuming he began working right after college?

"Huh. Nice," I acknowledged, "You must have quite the stomach for being able to comb through murder scenes for that long. What made you want to go into CSI in the first place?"

"Uhhmmm," he stammered uncomfortably, "Well, it's a long story. When I was eleven years old, my fath-"

"Hey, Allen!" the raspy-voiced receptionist called out from the doorway, eyeing us both with hateful eyes, "Detective Joe wants to see you."

"Oh - alright. Thanks, Lake. I'll be down there in a second."

Lake gave us a nasty stare before returning downstairs.

"Who spit in her cereal?" I murmured.

Barry gave a disapproving but entertained smile before indicating for me to follow him downstairs.

"Come on - I'll introduce you to my stepfather."

Downstairs in the lobby, a group of officers that included Eddie, a bearded African American man, and two other officers was waiting for us. Barry hurried down over to them, and I followed behind him.

"Hey Joe - what's up?" he asked.

"Bear, we gotta run. There's been another case," the African American man said. The two accompanying officers locked guns into their belts and left.

"What is it this time?"

"We can't tell, but there have been reports of suspicious activity. Evidence points to a metahuman attack," Eddie described, involuntarily looking over at me when he said the word _metahuman_.

He solemnly nodded his head at me in greeting. I acknowledged him the same way. Joe noticed our interaction.

"Who's your friend?" Joe asked, holding his hand out to me for a handshake.

"Oh - this is Artemis. The new engineer at STAR Labs I was telling you about?" Barry explained, stepping aside to introduce me. I stepped forward and shook Joe's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," I stated, smiling courteously.

"Detective Joseph West. Iris and Barry were telling me about you," he said, with a stern look in his eyes.

I got immediately got the feeling that he didn't like me, and a tiny gulp worked its way down my throat.

" _Eddie_ also told me about you," Joe continued, raising an eyebrow.

Even though I had done no wrong, I suddenly felt nervous and guilty. Eddie's eyes shown at me pitifully. Barry looked confused.

"I - sir, I didn't mean to offend the police or anything. I just -"

"Is something wrong?" Barry asked, perplexed. Eddie immediately shook his head no.

"Joe, I told you it wasn't a big deal. Let's go," Eddie stated coolly.

Barry's eyes immediately shot to Eddie, and gave him an almost cold glare.

There's tension between these two, I realized, recalling that Eddie was dating Iris, whom Barry had a crush on. Joe was still eyeing me sternly.

"STAR Labs is on good relations with the police, Ms. Van Kleiss," Joe explained, "What happened last week may have been a special situation, but you're not here to feel sorry for murderers."

"Yeah, that's what Arkham's for," Eddie said with a small laugh.

Joe and Barry turned and gave him unamused looks.

"Whatever. We need to go," Eddie announced, and he walked out with Joe to the elevator. Barry followed behind them, but turned and gave an exaggerated look between me and the two officers, clearly demanding some answers. I gave him a reluctant smile and gestured that I'd tell him later, and watched them leave.

"Can I help you?" an annoyed female voice demanded. It was Lake, perched at her receptionist's desk, stuffing her face with chocolate, the hateful look still burning in her eyes.

"Nope!" I replied, and left the building.

###

The next morning, I awoke early and decided to go head out to the Cloverleaf Recreational Gym and check it out before going to work. I found the gym mostly empty, save for a lonely man on the other side running a treadmill. I found a pair of boxing gloves and was wacking away to my heart's content at a punching bag, when the door to the entrance opened and a surprised voice called out my name.

"Artemis?" Cisco asked, bewildered to see me. I had a similar reaction. Barry entered behind Cisco, both dressed in shorts and STAR Labs t-shirts, Cisco with a headband under his long hair.

"Um. Hey?" I replied, lowering my gloved fists.

"What are you doing here this early?" he inquired, setting a gym bag down on the ground.

"Hunting for elephants? You?"

"Pretty much the same thing," Cisco responded, cracking a grin.

"Morning, Artemis," Barry acknowledged, turning towards a wide set of stairs, "I'll be upstairs."

Cisco faced me with a wily smile, and the two of us messed around with the boxing gloves for a while.

"Why is Barry here? He doesn't live at Cloverleaf," I asked during our water break.

"No, he doesn't, but I sneak him in anyway," Cisco answered, getting up.

"Is there a track somewhere around here?" I asked, "I wanna go for a run, but treadmills aren't my thing."

"Sure. There's one upstairs. I was going up there myself," Cisco explained. We silently gathered our things and went upstairs, where we found Barry stretching his arms by a set of weights.

"Harmless warmup?" Cisco asked, arching an eyebrow at his friend. Barry nodded. I knelt down to tighten the laces on my beat-up sneakers.

"You, uhh, you going for a run?" Barry asked, furrowing his eyebrows. I nodded my head at him.

"Mind if I join you for a little footrace?" he questioned, a small smile playing on his face. Cisco looked over at us with concern.

"I don't see why not?" I retorted, walking over to the huge synthetic asphalt track ahead of us, "Though I'm warning you - don't cry if you lose."

"Why? What are you, an Olympic gold medalist or something?" Barry asked jokingly.

"Maybe..."

"Well, don't be too impressed if _I_ happen to beat you," he said with a coy flair to his voice. I arched an eyebrow at him, and we both turned to face the synthetic asphalt track ahead of us, "On your mark, Van Kleiss..."

He wouldn't beat me. I wouldn't let him, though I was enjoying the challenge he was offering. I leaned forward, ready to run, and began counting.

"Alright. Three... two...one," and we were off.

Now, any runner knows that the key to running fast lies in several aspects of the runner's form, which includes keeping your upper body tall and loose, using the momentum in your arms, and balancing your strides with your own energy. Barry and I both started off at a quick, steady pace, but as we ran the turn in the track, he sped up, passing me. I allowed him, focusing on keeping my own strides even, and soon, I managed to pass him. I continued running and glowed a little at my small victory, and was about to complete my lap when I realized I couldn't hear Barry's footsteps anymore. I allowed myself to turn around and my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets at what I saw.

Barry was at least 100 meters behind me.

And his running form was undeniably sloppy.

For one, he seemed far more hunched over than necessary, and his arms were loosely flying around at his sides. His strides were terribly unbalanced, and despite all of his physical efforts, he was moving incredibly slowly. I finished the last few meters, and stopped and gawked at him, in awe of how stupid he looked. He soon wobbled his way over to me, and was taking big slow breaths.

"What the hell _was_ that?" I asked in stupefaction. Barry sat down exhausted and ran a hand through his hair. He had run like a frightened duck, and that too, like a slow duck. He didn't sweat a drop. What did he have to be tired about? I sat down beside him, probably scowling at him.

"I went easy on you," he conceded, faking exhaustion.

"Went easy? That's the worst running I have ever seen in my life!" I declared, incredibly disappointed. Cisco was covering up laughter with his mouth at the edge of the track, giggling hysterically. He joined us at the starting line.

"The worst running you've ever seen?" Barry murmured, turning sad, "That's a little harsh..."

"I'm sorry, but I had higher expectations for you," I affirmed, still angry at him for his poor performance.

"Here - why don't we go again? I'll count you guys down," Cisco offered. I nodded my head and pulled Barry Allen to his feet with both hands.

"This time, give me some _real_ competition, please," I asked coldly. Barry gave me a pitiful look, and we both turned toward the track once again.

"On your marks... Get set... Go!" Cisco announced. And Barry and I were off again. For at least half of the track, Barry kept up with me. Good, I thought. At least now it's not an easy win. Now, he's using his full potential. But just as soon as I thought Barry would pass me, he slowed down almost completely, again, in that foolish, wobbly form of his. His steps became extremely short, and for some reason, he gave me a nutty smile and tilted his chin up, as if that would help him. I stopped short and turned around, dropping my arms to my sides in frustration.

"What the _actual_ hell?" I shouted to him, and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt to stop him as he tried to pass me. He gave me a confused expression.

"What? I'm running!" he protested. I dropped his sleeve and crossed my arms across my chest, not hiding my letdown.

"No. You were _not_ running. You were a disappointment, that's what you were," I stated severely. Offended, Barry placed a hand at his side, looking down at me.

"Well, jeez, no need to be so rude about it, Ms. World Champion," he glowered. I threw my arms up in shock.

"Are you kidding me? Someone of your size and physique should be able to run a _lot_ better than that!" I cried out, "You _should've_ beaten me! Cisco - shouldn't Barry have beaten me?"

Cisco's face was red from uncontrolled laughter - though what he found funny, I could never guess.

"Well, I don't know," he admitted, giggling as he walked over, failing in his attempt to stifle a smile, "Seems like Barry here just couldn't reach his full potential today,"

Cisco hooked an elbow over Barry's shoulder, though Barry was much taller than him, and Barry gave him a pointed grin, like the comment was an inside joke of theirs.

"Guess you had an easy win today, Artemis," Barry admitted reluctantly. I frowned at them both.

"I hate easy wins. Step up your running game, Allen," I ordered, picking up my water bottle on my way to the stairs, "See you both later."

"Bye, Artemis." Barry called out.

"Yeah, see ya at work, Speedy Van Kleiss," Cisco remarked.

" _Don't_ call me that," I demanded, turning around to roughly ruffle Cisco's hair. He tried to object, but by the time I pulled my hand away, his hair was a wild mess and he wore a goofy grin.

After showering at home and changing into fresh clothes, I headed over to STAR Labs early, where Dr. Snow had already started setting up.

"Morning, Artemis," she greeted kindly, holding up a paper bag with the Jitters' logo on it, "Extra breakfast?"

I thanked her and took the bag from her, sitting beside her as I stuffed my face with the mini bagel bites she brought. She smiled and tapped her finger against her bottom lip.

"So... I hear you had an interesting morning at the gym...," she remarked. I was taken aback, and set the bag down.

"Barry Allen couldn't run to save his life!" I professed. Caitlin seemed entertained by my words.

"Really now?" she asked with a small chuckle, organizing the papers in front of her into separate stacks.

"Yes! Caitlin, he runs like a bipedal turtle!"

Caitlin laughed at my words a little too hard, turning a bit red in the face, as if she couldn't believe what I just said. Footsteps could be heard in the entrance tunnel, and Barry and Cisco entered, both cleaned up from our morning workout.

"A bipedal turtle?" Barry asked in disbelief. Cisco nodded at Caitlin and stole a couple of bagel bites from my bag before retrieving the Shocker from one of the lab rooms.

"Woahhh... What is that?" Barry asked, turning his attention to the large gun in Cisco's hands. It's been painted silver and purple. Cisco must've done that on his own time.

"STAR Labs' newest toy, ideas courtesy of Artemis. I told you about this yesterday, remember?" He balled up his fist and wiped away at a smudge near the muzzle, "We'll be using this to stop Rajeet, our latest metahuman criminal."

"But first, we gotta test it out," I reminded him, dusting off my hands and slipping on my lab coat. I took the gun from him and double checked the electricity-inducing battery we created.

"Barry, check this out," I called, inviting him over to my side so I can show him our masterpiece. He made his way around the table and is beside me, peering at the device in my hands. I pointed out various parts of the gun.

"You know how tesla coils work, right? This gun works the same way, except it generates artificial brain waves instead of regular high-voltage electricity."

"Wow... Wait, so how did you manage to control and cut down the electric power?" He asked, genuinely intrigued. I couldn't help but feel relaxed in how close he was standing to me.

"Classical electrodynamics. We're using solenoid magnets as batteries so we can manipulate the electric and magnetic fields emitted by the gun," I explained, smiling proudly, "So not only can the gun operate at the same electric charge it runs on, but it can also reverse and nullify any other opposing waves, which will render our metahuman powerless,"

Barry looked away from the gun and focused his attention onto me. He raised his eyebrows.

"That's actually pretty smart," he said with an impressed smile.

"Cisco, how exactly are we going to test this thing?" I asked, facing our long-haired mechanical engineer. Cisco scratched the back of his head, and seemed confused for a minute.

"Well, we could -"

"Sorry for my late entrance. These stupid calls are going to be the death of me," said Dr. Wells in a moody tone, leaving his office and joining the four of us in the Cortex, "I see Artemis and Cisco have completed their work?"

"Yeah, we finished up yesterday. We just gotta pull some test runs, but we're not sure what to work this thing on," Cisco answered. Dr. Wells pursed his lips before answering.

"Didn't we have crash dummies in the back wings?" he asked.

"Crash dummies? Why would we have those here?" I inquired. Dr. Wells gave an amused look before answering.

"Remnants from an old experiment. Caitlin, would you happen to know where they are?"

"I'm guessing they're in the back rooms?" she answered.

"Great. Artemis, could you go get them? I'll start making preparations in the basement," Cisco requested, before taking the Shocker and leaving towards the elevator. Barry, Caitlin and Dr. Wells looked to me expectantly.

"Uhh, sure, I'll go look around for them," I responded, before turning away, leaving the three of them alone. I headed towards the back wing of STAR Labs and entered the appropriate room, where I spotted several test dummies thrown together in a closet. I retrieved four of them and walked back into the hall, on my way back to the Cortex and to the elevator, when a closed door taunted me in the corner of my eye.

It's the door to the room Cisco didn't let me enter yesterday.

Nobody's here with me, and Barry, Caitlin and Dr. Wells' shadows are nowhere to be seen. They must be discussing something behind closed doors.

As kind as they all are, there _are_ secrets being kept from me.

This could be my chance to figure out what's going on here. Caitlin and Dr. Wells rarely discussed things publicly. And Barry was always here, though I suspected that's solely because he's been long-time friends of Cisco and Caitlin. Maybe Caitlin's just checking up on him, because he said he had been hit by lightning and no other doctor or hospital could see him?

Thompson's words echoed in my head - the lab isn't a safe place.

But what would he know? He was a teenaged metahuman, unable to harness his own powers. I was a renown scientist, who worked at the facility. I had access to the lab. He didn't.

I bit my lip, chastising myself for thinking so. I was in no condition to compare myself to Thompson. The poor boy was confused by his circumstances.

My labmates weren't being secretive - I was simply new here. A few weeks, and I'd know as much as they did.

The door persistently tantalized me again. I could go in, have a quick look around, and come back out in a minute. If I got caught, I could say I was searching for the dummies. Or for extra materials. Or that I forgot we weren't allowed inside. Besides, what could they possibly have in there? Dead bodies?

I silenced my nagging conscience, and helplessly inserted my lab key into the lock. The handle loosened, and I felt awash with gratefulness, closing the door behind me. I dropped the dummies to the floor and found the light switch.

The room was large and circular, but aside from that, it's similar to the rest of the lab rooms, with high blue walls and a gray linoleum floor. It's completely empty, though, save for a large machine in the back. The machine had a large platform laid out on the ground, which was covered in a huge conveyor belt. Monitoring screens were built along the long side for easy access.

It... sort of resembled a sideways treadmill. A huge one, too, at that.

What on earth could it be used for? It's too big and too... complicated-looking... for any human.

My curiosity got the best of me, and I stepped onto the machine's deck, walking up to the screens facing me. They seemed fairly new. And not a speck of dust on them.

This machine has been used recently, I realized ominously.

I played around with the various buttons on the bottom of the screens, trying to see what they do, until one of them turned the center monitor on.

**THE COSMIC TREADMILL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.**

**PLEASE ENTER YOUR DESIRED INPUT AND SPEED.**

A loud, monotonous female voice announced throughout the room. I hurriedly press the buttons again, trying to silence the machine so my coworkers won't hear.

"Hey, Artemis, Cisco's asking if you need any help with the dummies?" Barry called out, in the halls. His shadow slipped and disappeared under the door to the room I was in. I panicked and press more buttons to shut the machine down, but instead the machine beeped and made a whirring sound, like a small, but powerful, engine coming to life.

"Artemis, what are you -," I hear the door open behind me, "Oh _god_ -"

Barry's found me now, and his facial expression spelled pure fear. He sprinted over, pulled me off of the running platform by the arm, hopped onto it in my place, and quickly pressed a sequence of buttons, powering down the machine down.

"What on _earth_ are you doing?!" He demanded, clearly worried, "Don't you know you're not allowed in here?!"

"I was looking for the dummies?" I ask hopefully. Barry looks over to the pile of life-size dolls left by the door, then back to me, raising an eyebrow. I give him an anxious smile. He shook his head in disapproval, grabbed my elbow with one hand and pulled me behind him, stopping to scoop up the dummies and close the door behind him.

"She turned on the Cosmic Treadmill," he stated, as we entered the Cortex.

"Tattle tale," I cursed, under my breath.

Dr. Wells and Caitlin wore surprised looks. Cisco, who apparently returned from the basement, looked to me with wide eyes.

"She did what?" Cisco challenged, disbelieving Barry.

"She turned _on_ the Cosmic Treadmill," Barry reaffirmed.

"Cisco, I thought I had asked for you to warn her from going inside that room," Dr. Wells accused harshly, glaring at a bewildered Cisco.

"What - sir, I _did._ I don't know how she could've -"

"And you, Dr. Snow, didn't I ask for you to lock the door the last time we used it?!" Wells questioned angrily, now turning to an unsuspecting Caitlin.

"Sir, I thought I -"

"Stop yelling at them," I ordered, yanking my arm away from Barry, my tone surprising Dr. Wells, "Cisco _did_ tell me not to go inside, and the door _was_ locked. I disobeyed you. I'm sorry."

Dr. Wells removes his glasses and looks at me with an indignant light shining from his eyes.

"How did you manage to get inside?" he asked skeptically.

I held up my STAR Labs keys to answer his question. Wells studied me for a second, before clearing his throat.

"You must be wondering why you aren't allowed in that room," he expressed.

"Of course I want to know why I'm not allowed in there," I stated furiously, "Cosmic treadmill - who _uses_ that thing?"

"Nobody. It's not actually a treadmill. It's a generator Dr. Wells designed that would give us backup power in case an accident happens," Cisco explained, "I was responsible for building it, but it has a tendency to go haywire, which is why it's in its own room. It's an old project gone wrong..."

"And let me guess - you've been trying to fix it, but to no avail? And you kept me from it _specifically_ so I wouldn't go in there and turn it on?" I snapped. Cisco nodded his head earnestly.

"Oh..."

I turned to Barry, who still seemed shocked by my rash actions. Something clicked in my brain.

"How come Barry knows how to use it?" I asked apathetically, "He doesn't work here."

They all fell quiet and seem discomforted, clearly unable to come up with a ready answer. Barry scratched the back of his head before shrugging.

"Let's just say... you're not the only one who's misused their keys to break into the room," Barry admitted with a small wink.

"The bipedal turtle decided to go for a quick run?" I mused. Barry gave an embarrassed smile and shrugged again.

"What's this about a turtle?" Dr. Wells asked curiously.

"Artemis says Barry can't run," Caitlin explained. Wells gave her an amused smile before turning to me.

"Is that so, Ms. Van Kleiss?" he asked with an entertained smile, as if me thinking Barry couldn't run was the greatest news he had ever heard.

I gave Barry an apologetic look and nodded.

"No offense, dude, but I've seen babies with better running form," I admitted.

"Well, _sorry_. I can't help it," Barry argued, raising one shoulder, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Run as if there's a pretty girl about to fry herself on a treadmill in front of you," Cisco joked, gesturing for me to follow him, "Come on, Artemis. Enough of this. We've got serious work to do."

I nod my head and gathered the dummies on the ground, but turned, facing Wells.

"And sir - you could've just told me what it was in that room, and I would've never gone in there. I know you probably thought it was the best thing to do for my own safety and whatnot, but I can't stand it when people keep secrets from me," I announced to the three of them.

"I have STAR Labs' best interests at heart. I would only hope that the reverse is true as well."

###

"What kind of name is 'Cosmic Treadmill' anyway?" I questioned Cisco as we begin wiring up the dummies down in the basement.

"Ionno. Just sounded cool at the time," Cisco mumbled as he adjusted the frequency range on the gun with a screwdriver.

"You built a generator and thought calling it a treadmill would be cool? How did _that_ cross your mind?"

Cisco looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait a second," I asked dramatically, "Is everything here space-themed?"

"What?"

"STAR Labs. Cosmic treadmill," I joked, pointing at a small trash bin by the door to the basement, "Is that, like, the gravitational garbage can?"

"Yeah, you're real funny," Cisco admitted sarcastically, throwing me an unimpressed glance, "I changed my mind. Your nicknames suck."

"That's not what you told Barry yesterday," I teased, raising an eyebrow at him as we worked.

"How did you know I talked to Barry yesterday?" he inquired, confused.

"I was in the room when he was on the phone with you, remember?" I reminded him, propping up the finished dummies at various locations in the open space.

"Oh. That's not awkward at all," he muttered. I smiled at him.

"So... we're testing a gun that has the ability to render us brain dead. Let's be a little careful." I said, handing him a pair of safety goggles.

"What are you talking about? This is the safest thing in the world," he retorted.

He signaled for me to stand behind him, which I did, and powered the weapon on. A small buzzing sound intensified as Cisco aimed the gun at one of the dummies. Once he pulled the trigger, though, he is thrown back a few feet by the power of the blast, and a purple bolt of electricity is wildly fired up at the ceiling, hitting one of the lights, where the jolt disappears in a fit of white static. I run over to Cisco and help him to his feet.

"That's the second time that thing has hurt you," I remarked, hoping he was okay. Cisco painfully nodded his head, and we opened up the Shocker's battery compartment.

"Think it has more power than necessary?" Cisco asked, turning the battery over in his hand. I pursed my lips and studied the weapon's design.

"It's a sufficient amount of energy," I answer, still in thought. Our calculations were more than correct. They corresponded directly with Caitlin's research.

"What if we need to regulate the frequency?" He asked. I could practically see the lightbulb go off in his head.

"Which means we would refine the amount of energy, and redesign the gun with a smaller, but more concentrated shot -" I added, catching onto what he's saying.

"Then the gun would have a more powerful impact -" Cisco continued, a smile appearing on his lips.

"And it would be easier to control! Cisco, you're a genius!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his shoulders in a quick surprise hug. I pulled away and began disassembling the energy chambers of the gun, and we both picked up the various tools necessary, and got right to work. In two hours or so, we have the gun rebuilt, with a sharper range. Cisco and I get ready to shoot and pull our safety goggles down, though at this point, we both know they're unnecessary. Cisco smiles dubiously as he aims at the dummy placed farthest away from us.

"I got you now, Crash," he utters confidently, and he pulls the trigger, sending a concentrated shot of lightning right at into the dummy's synthetic rubber chest. The shock is absorbed, and nothing happens. We hurry over and go check the status of the dummy on a computer we brought with us.

_**NULLIFIED** _

The computer read on a screen, with the dummy crossed out on our virtual map. Cisco shrieked gleefully and we high-five'd each other. We ran the remaining tests, each one just as victorious as the first, and ran up to the Cortex to tell Dr. Wells the good news - the Shocker is a success, and can be used to stop the telekinetic meta.

"Hey, _Dr. Wells_!" Cisco sang out as the elevator door opened into the main room. Dr. Wells and Caitlin were studying something on a computer. Wells smiled at us as we entered.

"Guess who just created the next badass metahuman-stopping weapon of doom!" Cisco asked rhetorically, turning and giving me another high five. I couldn't help but smile at his happiness and at our success.

"She's ready to be handed over to the police," I said, placing the Shocker down on the table.

"The police?" Caitlin inquired curiously.

"Yeah - don't the police use our weapons to stop metahumans?" I questioned, "Didn't you guys say we're not the ones using the tech? We just create it, right?"

Wasn't that what they said? The police kept going on and on about how they had a good relationship with the lab...

How did I still not know what went on here?

"Ah, yes. Yes, indeed. The police will take care of our metahumans," Dr. Wells affirmed, annoyance flashing in his eyes for a mere millisecond at Caitlin before returning to his fatherly light.

"What about the Red Streak?" I asked.

"The red what, now?" Cisco responded. The three of them stared at me as if I just cussed at their mothers.

"The - the red metahuman who runs impossibly fast. He was there to stop Thompson. What if he decides to pay the police a visit again when they're trying to stop this new guy, Rajeet?"

Dr. Wells looked at Caitlin and Cisco, who are both silent, then turned to me with a sad smile.

"Artemis, the Red Streak is an urban legend. A myth," Dr. Wells consoled, "He's not real."

"But, Dr. Wells, I _saw_ him. He stopped Thompson from poisoning the entire city. He saved me. Iris runs a blog about him - she has proof," I said dejectedly, not believing what my employer was telling me.

Maybe he just hasn't seen the Red Streak. Maybe he dislikes the Red Streak for getting in the way of STAR Labs' work, interfering with the police.

Maybe the Red Streak is evil and Dr. Wells is trying again to keep me safe.

No, that can't be it. Whatever it is he's hiding - it's much bigger than a matter of safety, but Dr. Wells _knows_ the Streak exists. That much, I am certain of.

"Iris West doesn't have any real evidence to prove his existence." Dr. Wells countered casually.

"She's says she's met him, Dr. Wells," I protested, confused as to what he's trying to say, "And I don't see any reason why she'd lie about that. If this is another one of your attempts at trying to protect me, then -"

"Perhaps she's arguing her case to get a position at the Picture News. Have you thought of that?" Dr. Wells persisted.

And it sort of did make sense - Iris would need something groundbreaking to impress her boss. But she seemed too genuine to be a liar. Why would she-

No, stop thinking negatively.

Cisco and Caitlin had been unnervingly quiet the entire time, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Well, what do you guys think?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Of what?" Cisco asked, startled.

"Of the Streak. Do you think he's real?"

Come on, Cisco _had_ to support me on this.

"I've - I've never seen him. Dr. Wells is right. He doesn't exist. He's just a legend," Cisco said flatly, giving me a hopeful look. Caitlin, on the other hand, was biting her lower lip again. She was nervous. I felt bad for targeting her, but Barry said she knew more about metahumans than anyone else in the city.

"Caitlin?"

"Yes?" she replied, regaining composure and looking me in the eye.

"When we had breakfast with Iris the other day, you didn't denounce the Streak then. Do you believe he exists?"

She twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip again before answering me.

"Um, no. I've personally never really taken an interest in the Streak. I've got enough on my hands," she answered, before turning back around to pick something up from her desk. She caught Dr. Wells giving her an expectant look. Obeying whatever silent command he was giving her, she slowly turned to face me again.

"As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist," she recited in a perfect tone, all signs of worry or fear gone from her voice, replaced with clear confidence. Three sets of eyes are all nervously watching me now, waiting for my reaction. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my lab coat.

I know what I saw, and I know there was no way I could've magically arrived at the airport that day. And Iris knows of the Red Streak. And so do Eddie and Joe and the rest of the cops who were there that day.

Dr. Wells is purposely keeping this a secret from me, I thought. He doesn't want me to know, and he has his associates - my friends - in on his wishes. The thought unnerved me.

"Oh. That makes sense," I responded falsely, keeping my voice even. I casually nodded my head at them, "You're right. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me when Thompson had his smoke show going on. Silly me," I declared with a tinny laugh. Cisco smiles at me and lets out a yawn.

"Well, time to go home again!" he proclaimed, grabbing his suede jacket off of one of the other desks. He stopped and turned around, lifting a lanyard off of the table.

"Barry forgot his keys again," he muttered, looking back at the three of us. I held my hand out to him, gesturing for him to give me the keys.

"I'll drop'em off again. The police station is on the way home, anyway."

Cisco studied the situation for a second, looking back and forth between me and the keys. A coy smile appeared on his lips.

"That clever sneak," he whispered in awe.

"What?"

"Not you - him. Sly fox is leaving his keys here on purpose to spend more time with you."

"What?" I snapped, snatching the keys from him, "Don't be ridiculous. They're just a set of keys."

"Oh no, they're not. I know that boy better than -" Cisco started. I cut him off with a murderous glare.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh! I'm just trying to lighten up the mood here!" He argued. I give him a weak smile and sheepishly apologized before I left.

Back at the police station, I ignored Lake's rambunctious yells for me to stop and log myself in with her, and made my way up the stairs and to the criminology lab.

Barry was looking at notes and newspaper articles that were pinned to the huge bulletin board. Once he saw me, he quickly pulled the map down over it.

"Hey," he remarked.

I held up his keys. "Second time in two days, Barry. Cisco's starting to think you leave them behind on purpose so I can bring them to you."

I dropped the lanyard into his hands. He raised an eyebrow in question, but cracked a grin.

"Nah, I'm just a bit of a klutz," he asserted, walking back to the counter.

"Yeah, your running form definitely exemplifies that," I retorted, "What have you got here?" I asked, pointing to the vials of blood Barry has stacked up in a test tube holder.

"Not much. Running a few DNA tests for a minor crime committed this morning," he answered, removing his gloves and washing his hands.

"What kind of crime?" I inquired. Barry turned around and smiled at me.

"I'm not allowed to disclose police details to civilians," he answered.

"You're not allowed to share details with us about who it is we could be endangered by?" I rebutted, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window, scoping the view, "Makes sense."

Barry narrowed his eyes at me.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked politely, "I'm not really allowed to have visitors."

"What - so police staff can hang out at our lab as _much_ as they want to, but visitors from STAR Labs aren't allowed to do the same _here_?" I joked.

He shrugged. "No, not at all. Our receptionist just gets nosy if someone's here without reason."

"Tell your receptionist I'm here on behalf of STAR Labs. Or to take a chill pill. Same difference."

Barry rolled his eyes at me.

"Alright, you can stay, but don't get me into trouble," he responded, rolling his eyes.

I walked around his lab, taking notice of the layout and the chemical cabinets placed by the left side of the lab, while Barry kept working. The cabinets were made of glass, but look new, as if they've been refurbished. Above, the glass roof looked as if it's been replaced as well. I must be standing in the same exact spot where Barry was struck by lightning, I realized.

I turned and watched Barry work. He was engrossed in his task, using some kind of machine to run a scan on an object, marking his results down in pen on an adjacent chart.

His quiet air of determination was something to admire, really.

I felt glad to have scored a friendship with him, and continued walking around his lab, past shelves lined with tools and beakers, past a neat desk with unopened files and two photo frames - one depicting Detective Joseph West with his arms around Iris and Barry, the other of Barry standing next to an older blonde man with a small beard. The other man bore a strong resemblance to him, and the two look almost identical save for their age, their hair color, and small differences in their smiles. He must be a close relative, I concluded, and plan to leave soon, not wanting to make Barry uncomfortable with my presence.

I'm about to say goodbye and head out, when I noticed the board standing in the other side of the room. It's covered with a map of Central City, and surrounding areas.

"What's this?" I ask, feeling the unsmoothness underneath the map.

"Oh, that's a map of the county and the districts. It's nothi -"

"I meant what's underneath it. You pulled the map down when I came in," I said neutrally, "Is it okay if I see what it is?"

Barry thought it over for a second, before walking over to me and pulling the map lower, then letting it go. The map immediately rolled itself up, revealing the newspaper articles and other pieces of information he had been reading, pinned to a corkboard.

 **NORA ALLEN MURDER** is printed across the top, and the headlines on the articles read similarly.

"I - when I was eleven years old, my mother was killed by something that made no sense, and my father went to prison for her murder. The crime is still unsolved."

"Your... your mother was Nora Allen?" I gasped, though the evidence is right there. There are photographs of the murder scene - of a woman with light brown hair lain dead on the ground in an unhumanly position, knife through her chest, blood blooming through her shirt and onto the floor. Other pictures show a younger version of Barry's father being led away by cops. My breath falls short and my heart starts pumping faster. I read an excerpt of the first article.

**NORA ALLEN, 32, KILLED BY HUSBAND. ONLY WITNESS IS SON, WHO CLAIMS FATHER IS INNOCENT**

(MARCH 19, 2000) _Last night, Nora Allen, 32, had been stabbed to death by her husband, Henry Allen, 35. The latter called the police station around midnight, saying lights were zooming around his wife inside his home, and that she needed help. When the police arrived about 10 minutes later, Nora was found dead in her living room, stabbed through her heart. Allen argues that he did not commit the murder, and their son, Bartholomew, who was the lone witness to the scene, states that his father is innocent, that his mother was killed by "monsters made of lightning." Officials have no choice but to arrest Henry Allen, convicting him of first-degree murder. The police suspect drug and/or alcohol abuse and -_

I didn't have the heart to continue reading, and looked through the rest of the board. My heart broke at a picture of Nora Allen, alive, hugging her young son at a park. She seemed like a lively and loving woman, just as my own mother did, with Barry's bright smile and the wind blowing through her reddish hair.

"Barry, it _was_ you," I mumble, and I pulled my fist to my mouth to keep myself from crying as I read a handwritten description of the scene.

_03/18/2000_

_\- around midnight - awoken by small earthquake_

_\- hear Mom scream, go outside_

_\- she's in the living room, bright lights are running around her at impossibly fast speeds_

_\- i scream and try to help her, somehow i'm outside_

_\- run back inside house, mom is dead, lightning is gone_

_\- police came in and arrested my dad_

His recount of the night is almost identical to mine, except my father had been killed the week before.

"Artemis, are you alright?" Barry asked gently.

"Barry, have you heard of the murders of Laurus and Ariadne Van Kleiss?" I asked.

He shook his head no, confused. Without asking, I walked over to the computer at his desk, and I searched up the link to an archive I made online. The link showed detailed articles of what happened as well as police reports, and Barry leaned down to read them.

"Your mother was killed on the same night?!" He inquired, bewildered.

"Keep reading," I urged, and Barry hesitantly faced the computer again, his expression changing from astonishment to disbelief as he read about how my mother had been killed the same way, on the same night, with me giving a similar background as to what I saw. The police and detectives had been unable to trace a suspect, and both the cases of my father's as well as my mother's murder have officially been declared cold, the murderer now on the loose.

Barry turned to me and began asking questions, but I ignored him and took the mouse from him.

"This is original footage from our security cameras at our home from that night," I stated, scrolling down and clicking a video.

Barry watched the video images of my mom and I sleeping in a dark room, me waking up and awakening my mother too. My mother turns on the lamp on her nighttable, and suddenly, the doors to the balcony explode, throwing glass everywhere, and bright lights barraged around the room. My mother tries to shoot them down, and at some point in the footage, I disappear from the bed. In less than five seconds or so, the lights disappear and a yellowish ghost materializes by my mother's bedside, and my mother has the most horrified look on her face. An eight year old me barges in through the bedroom door alongside several guards, my mom yells out a quick warning to me, the yellow figure stabs her, and another figure just like him except in red, appears and runs into him, and they both disappear.

As the video ended, Barry faced me, colorless.

"Artemis, that's almost exactly what had happened at my own home," he answered, his voice hushed.

"Artemis," Barry said, turning my chair so I was facing him, "Do you realize what this means?"

"The murders must have been connected," I whispered, "We have twice as much information to solve them with now."

Barry gave me a small, but encouraging smile, and squeezed my hand supportively as I began to show him a police report that has all of the little data that was collected.

"Alright. You've been in here long enough, girly. Out! Now!" A woman yelled out at the doorway. It's old Lake, and she was enraged.

"Lake, no, it's fine. She's here for work-relate-"

" _Out_. Now. You know the drill, Barry. No visitors without appointments, unless its an emergency," she scorned, "And - _this_ \- doesn't look like an emergency. You're playin' computer games."

Lake raised an eyebrow at us, and I sheepishly got up to walk out. Barry followed me, and the three of us walk down the stairs into the lobby of the police station. I was about to turn and say goodbye, when Lake made a low growling sound and pointed a withered finger right in my face, startling me.

"And you, Missy! I find you in here without an appointment again, you'll find yourself wishing you were never born!" She barked, yelling loud enough for everyone in the station to hear and turn their heads towards us. I blushed from the sudden embarrassment, but smiled guiltily at Barry.

"Shall we make an appointment, then? To continue talking about this later?" I asked.

"Sure thing. I'll text you," he agreed, with an apologetic smile pointed at Lake.

At home, I have little to do before I go over to the West's house. Iris had asked me to come over to her place later on in the afternoon to discuss Thompson's attack last week, and I had agreed. My conversation with Barry replays itself in my head, and I can't help but continue to look up more details of Nora Allen's murder online in my free time. When the time came, I left my apartment and hailed a taxi to the West residence.

I rang the doorbell once, waiting outside. Nobody answered, and I rang it again.

That's funny, I mused. There should be people at home.

Iris seemed like a responsible person. She wouldn't forget a meeting.

After a moment, I heard a woman yelling inside the house, followed by a male voice consenting, "Alright, alright!" and the door opened to reveal Barry, in an old navy sweater and plaid university pajamas, holding a bowl of mac n' cheese.

"Artemis? Hi?" He stated, clearly surprised to see me, "Umm, are you here to see me?"

"No, I'm here for Iris," I responded, furrowing my eyebrows, "Although it's a surprise to see you too? I didn't know you, erm, lived here."

Barry looked down at his bowl of mac n' cheese and his cozy outfit, and nodded shyly.

"I, uhh, yeah, I live here."

"I can see that," I retorted, "Is Iris home?"

"Yes, I am! Barry, stop standing there with your mouth hanging and invite her inside!" Iris scolded as she appeared in the doorway. She gave Barry's shoulder a playful shove out of the way, and gestured for me to enter, "Welcome to the West house, Artemis. I was just setting up for you, and asked Barry to get off of his butt and answer the door, but he loves his dinner more than his guest etiquette."

Barry protested with a mouth full of food, and Iris mischievously glared at him as she walked away from him.

Oh, this was cute. He lived with his crush, and she had no idea about his feelings...

I raised an eyebrow at Barry and grinned at him as I followed her to a dinner table, where a laptop, recorder and notepad were waiting for us. Iris sat down at the laptop, and I took a seat beside her. Barry convened with us at the seat across from us, still invested in his food.

"So what exactly are you two meeting up for?" he asked, scraping the last of his mac n' cheese out of the bowl with his spoon.

For someone so tall and scrawny, he seemed to have _quite_ the appetite.

"I wanted to get Artemis' insight on last week's sighting of the Red Streak," Iris stated.

"What, are you going to publish it on your blog or something?" Barry cracked. The humorous look on his face melted when Iris nodded her head, and he rolled his eyes.

"Iris, you know that's not the best idea," he stated, getting up for another bowl of food. Iris turned her recorder on, and when Barry returned, he placed a bowl in front of me. I thanked him, as he sat back in front of me with his own bowl, now replenished with mac n' cheese.

"So, Artemis. Just tell me everything you know, everything you saw, and feel free to share as many or as few details as you'd like," Iris stated with a kind smile. Both her and Barry were waiting for me to speak at this point. I gathered my thoughts before I began recounting the events of that day - of how I found myself alone on the street, and a metahuman appeared, in a brawl with the police, caught me as a hostage, before the Red Streak appeared and heroically got everyone out of the way, and how the next thing I knew, I was at the airport with my belongings.

Iris listened with intent, keen interest, jotting down notes. Barry, on the other hand, listened half-heartedly, appearing to focus more on his food than on my words, as if he's tired of hearing people discuss the Streak with Iris.

"That was perfect, actually. It's the ideal amount of information. I could get started with the article right away as a matter of fact," she answered, clearly pleased with my input.

"Yeah, but don't be getting caught up in metahuman attacks just to get her more details, Artemis," Barry warned, "Iris' pretentious little obsession with the Streak isn't exactly the safest hobby."

"Get us something to drink, will you?" She countered, silencing him. Barry left the table and returned with a third helping of mac n' cheese for himself, and various canned sodas.

"Can I ask what your reaction to seeing the Streak was, Artemis?" Iris asked, looking up from her laptop to me. Now, even Barry was giving me his full attention.

"At first, I was scared right out of my wits. One metahuman had me captured, and then another one arrives at the scene? And the cops are barely able to contain the first? But when I saw how - how _powerful_ the Streak was, and what he could do, and how mind-blowingly fast he was, I was really shocked - it was incredible!" I replied, recalling how impressed I was with my first encounter with the Streak. Or, rather, my second...

Was the Streak even a hero? Or was he some demon who kept other metahumans out of the way to keep himself the most powerful?

"Iris, could I see your other articles about him? I'm just curious about what else the Red Streak has done."

She smiled knowingly at me, and opened up at new tab on her laptop screen.

"You've come to the right place. I have the biggest and most detailed archive on the Red Streak's sightings in the entire city," she claimed proudly. Her blog proves to live up to its word. Several articles describing the arrival of the Streak, Iris' own theories about him, along with pictures submitted by civilians, as well as detailed sketches of the figure, can be found on the website, along with dates published. Most of the articles are fairly recent.

"How long has the Streak been around, exactly?" I asked. Iris pushed her laptop towards me, and I freely glimpsed through a few of her articles.

"I can't be sure... A few months at most? He just appeared in the city recently," She guessed.

"No, he has to have been around for much longer than that," Barry interjected, mumbling.

"Well, what would you know?" I asked, questioning his logic, "Didn't you say you recovered from your coma only recently as well?"

Wait.

Barry woke up from his coma a few months ago.

And the Red Streak has only been sighted for a little over a few months ago as well...

Barry watched me coolly, with an eyebrow raised, almost as if he was daring me to make the inference.

No, it can't be him.

Barry was a bit slow and meticulous with everything, with a strong emphasis on the _slow_. He was the most cautious and careful person I had met in the city, and his running performance this morning definitely proved he couldn't run five feet, despite the appearance of his physical strength.

Barry couldn't be the Red Streak.

Anyone _but_ Barry Allen, I thought, with a silent laugh at my foolish thoughts.

"I'm just saying it's kind of strange that he'd show up now rather than later, like he just appeared out of nowhere," Barry continued, although his explanation makes no sense to the two of us.

"Iris, do you know if he's a metahuman? If he was affected by the particle accelerator and if _that's_ what gave him his abilities?" I asked, clicking through blurry photos of the red man, and drawings people had sent in of him.

"I actually can't say about that," Iris conceded. I gave her back her laptop and nodded at her words.

"Yeah, you'd have to ask STAR Labs about him..." Barry answered cautiously.

But... But STAR Labs denounced the existence of the Red Streak. And didn't want me to know of him, or even bring him up, for that matter.

"STAR Labs doesn't know much about him, unfortunately..." I stated, not wanting to bring up my suspicion that they were keeping secrets about him. Iris and Barry both nodded their heads in reluctance. Barry had his last bite of mac n' cheese, got up to put his plate away, then moved to the living room. I could hear the TV turn on, and a sports commentator describing a missed slam dunk.

Iris and I continued with our work, and she answered a few of my questions, and I answered hers. As she told me about how the Red Streak has met up with her in person, the front door opened, revealing the two officers from yesterday - Detective West and Eddie Thawne.

Iris, Barry and I smiled and greeted them, and Detective West returned the greeting before excusing himself to go upstairs. Iris shot Barry a demanding glance, and Barry sighed as he got up to make some coffee. Eddie walked over behind Iris's chair, and after looking over his shoulder, bent down to softly kiss the crown of her forehead. Behind him, in the kitchen, Barry rolled his eyes towards Eddie's actions.

"Are we still on for tonight?" Eddie whispered to her, gently caressing her face.

"Eddie, I'm working," she protested with a small giggle, smiling peacefully at him. Eddie brought his hand forward and closed the laptop, raising his eyebrows at her expectantly.

"Fine," she conceded, pulling her jacket off of the back of the chair, "What's my excuse for tonight?"

Was she honestly going to leave me for a date with her boyfriend?

Just like that?

"I'll take care of it. You just play along," he said. Iris consented, and put her finger to her lips as she looked at me. Barry exhaled and wiped his hands down his face, obviously irritated, though he hid his reaction from Iris and Eddie.

Detective West returned downstairs to find the four of us seated at his dinner table, mugs of coffee set out.

"Baby, you going somewhere?" he asked, taking notice of Iris ready to leave as he joined us at the table. Barry and I turned to watch her speak.

"Yeah, there was something I wanted to go do tonight, Dad. I'm sorry," she allowed.

Eddie cleared his throat beside her. "Iris and I were just talking about how _Space Destroyers III_ comes out tonight, and we both really wanted to go see the opening premiere."

His acting skills were pretty good, actually, but West didn't buy it.

"Space Destroyers? Since when have you been into science fiction?" West asked Iris skeptically.

"Since Barry got me into it," Iris responded, clearly turning Barry over to cover for her.

"Yeah, I made her watch the first two movies with me last week. She's totally obsessed now," Barry mumbled, throwing Iris back under the bus.

"I'm all for Galactyon's return, you know. It's supposed to be epic," Iris said, still smiling at her father.

"Well, you're too old to for me to turn you away from the movies, now. Why don't you go with them, Bear?" West questioned, taking a sip of his coffee. Barry threw his stepfather an _are-you-serious?_ look, as if Joe should know better than to ask Barry to tag along with Iris and Eddie, but shrugged his shoulders casually.

"I wanted to hang out with Artemis tonight," he conceded, folding his arms across his chest as he turned to me. Iris gave Barry a grateful smile, and left with Eddie. West finally acknowledged me.

"Hi... Artemis," he greeted, looking back and forth between Barry and me, clearly not buying Barry's story, either.

"Hi Mr. West," I responded nervously, hoping he still didn't hate me for my skirmish with Eddie the other day and for what I had said about the police not dealing with metahumans properly.

"Call me Joe," he said with a warm smile. Barry brought him a plate of mac n' cheese, and Joe took it from him, getting up to leave.

"No, no, sit down. You don't need to leave," Barry protested kindly, and Joe obliged, returning to his seat, "We actually had something we'd like to discuss with you."

We did? What could it be?

"Well, what is it?" Joe asked kindly, taking a bite of his dinner.

"I'm not sure where to begin with this, but Artemis' lost her mother the same night I did. We think - we believe the murders may be connected," Barry explained.

Joe obviously has no qualms over discussing death over dinner. He gave Barry a questioning look.

"Bear, you know better than to say something like that. Several people die several times a night in this country," Joe explained sadly, "I'm sorry for the loss of your mother, Artemis, but as someone who works with police investigations, Barry should know better than to assume that -"

"Her mother was killed the same way, Joe."

Barry's words threw Joe off.

"What - like a stabbing?" He asked.

"Speedsters," Barry responded in complete seriousness.

"Speedsters," Joe whispered in amazement, "Now - Artemis - do you have any evidence or any proof that your mother's murder could be related to that of Nora Allen?"

"I have the original security footage, sir, and I am an eye-witness to the crime. And I have due reason to believe my father was killed by the same person only the week before," I responded.

"The details are exactly the same, Joe," Barry added hopefully, "And Artemis said she saw the man who did it. We could finally get some answers."

"March 19th, in the year 2000?" Joe asked, still not believing us.

"Yes. March 19th, in the same year," I replied, "My mother was killed about an hour or so after Nora Allen was."

Joe gave us both an uncanny, scared stare, before responding.

"I'll - I'll look into this. Strange as hell," he muttered, before putting his dishes away and walking back upstairs, leaving Barry and I alone at the kitchen table. We made quick eye contact for a second, before we looked away. Barry let out a deep sigh.

"You've barely touched your food, Artemis," he noted. My soda can was waiting before me,unopened, and I'd only taken a single bite of my food.

"Oh. Right," I replied, giving a nervous laugh. Just as I was about to pick up my spoon, Barry snatched my bowl from me and slipped back into the kitchen, placing the bowl in his microwave oven.

"Nobody enjoys cold mac 'n cheese," he stated matter-of-factly, giving me back my bowl. I smiled graciously at him.

"Thanks, Barry," I said, and helped myself to a spoonful of the food, "Oh my god, I haven't had mac n' cheese this good in _years."_

"Really?" Barry asked, pleased with my reaction. I nodded my head at him.

"That makes me really happy, because for once, someone enjoys my cooking."

"What - _you_ made this?!"

"Yeah, from scratch and everything," he explained, chuckling.

"Oh, don't worry," I joked, "If you ever cook dinner again, and nobody wants to eat your food, just invite me over and I'll take care of it for you."

"Definitely," Barry agreed with a laugh. I ate the last of my dinner, and got up to put the bowl away. Barry rose as well and handed me my soda.

"Do you watch football?" He asked, out of the blue.

"What?"

"Football," he repeated, blinking, "Umm...It's the game where there are two teams, and they have to -"

I frowned. "Barry, of course I know what football is. Why do you ask?"

"Just thought you'd be interested in knowing that the Patriots are playing the Central City Cougars tonight," he conceded, "And, well, the game is starting soon."

"The team from New England is playing against the team from Central City?"

"Yes."

"And you would like to watch with me, knowing that I'm from New England - from the same state as the team, as a matter of fact - and _you're_ from Central City?"

"Yes."

"And you thought I would turn you down?" I asked coyly.

Barry was all smiles and led me back to the living room, where the game has already begun on TV. We sat down and I tried my best to stay interested in the game, while Barry easily blazoned support. On screen, the Cougars scored a touchdown, and of course Barry's rubbing this in my face.

"Oh man, Davidson totally creamed you guys right there!"

"Oh yeah? Well, um," I attempted, having no idea who 'Davidson' was, "Well, Brady's still going to, erm, get you in the next quarter!"

"Not with that defense, he's not. And you don't have any good offense on your blind side, either."

"That's because we, um, don't need offense there!"

"Are you serious? That dive play totally ruined you guys!"

"Well, we, um, we don't, uh... At least we don't have a halfback!"

Barry looked baffled by my words, and gave me a perplexed look.

"What does your halfback have anything to do with this? And you _do_ have one - he's called a runningback..."

"Umm... So? That doesn't matter."

"Artemis, do you even know football?" Barry asked.

"No," I answered timidly.

Barry gave me a shocked look.

"Well, you gotta give me credit for trying," I retorted, "All I know is that these guys are losing their brain cells and risking severe injuries, and that I need the red, white, and blue team to win. Isn't that enough?"

Barry sighed and nodded at me, smiling in spite of the situation.

"Sure? But you don't need to worry - the 'red, white and blue team' doesn't stand much of a chance," he answered with a wink.

"They're neck at neck right now," I replied, checking the score on the TV.

"Oh good. At least she can read stats," he joked.

"Barry, I went to MIT," I responded in seriousness.

He gave me a blank expression, probably unsure if he had offended me or not, and I smiled and gently slapped his shoulder. We continued watching the rest of the game together, and just when it seemed that the game would end in a tie, the Cougars managed a last touchdown, and Barry was relentless in humiliating me.

"Yes! I told you - see, I told you! The Patriots lost!" He teased, shaking me by the shoulder as he watched the team cheer. I rolled my eyes but smiled silently, enjoying Barry's company. Joe hurried downstairs, frowning.

"Barry - what's all this noise? I was in a phone call," he demanded, "The chief could barely hear a word I was saying!"

Barry faced him with a cheesy grin.

"The Cougars beat the Patriots," he explained proudly.

"So? It's not like the Patriots stood a chance, anyway," Joe replied assertively.

Barry turned and gave me an adorable smile. I shrugged.

"Everything okay with you?" Joe asked me, though I knew he didn't mean it rudely.

"Oh, nothing," Barry answered for me, "She's just upset because her team lost."

"What?" Joe exclaimed with a laugh, "Oh, right. You just moved here from New England. Well, I suggest you switch teams quick, Artemis. You're in Cougar Country now."

"I'll see about that, Joe," I debated, "You only beat us by one point, anyway. Not exactly a deciding factor."

"No, but see here, Artemis - " Barry said, turning to me and resting his elbow on my shoulder, moving his hands as he spoke, "You don't exactly want to live in Central City as a Patriot's fan, because - face it - the Cougars are just a better team anyway."

I was about to rebut his comment with a sheepish argument, only to be interrupted by Iris entering in from the front door, smiling and waving goodbye to someone outside. Outside, a car pulled away from the Wests' driveway.

"How was the movie?" Joe asked. Iris closes the door behind us and looks confused for a second.

"What movie?" She replied innocently, before widening her eyes and realizing the mistake in her response, "Oh! Space Destroyers! No - it was boring. We left early. We weren't having any fun."

Joe let out a low whistle, and crossed his arms, incredulously studying his daughter.

"You left the movies early?" I asked, "But you were gone for at least three hours."

Barry quickly placed an arm over my shoulder, shaking his head at me to stay quiet.

"No, we, uhh, we decided to go out for dinner instead," Iris answered, before turning Barry and me and smiling with a raised eyebrow.

"And what have _you_ two been up to?" She asked flirtatiously.

"Nothing! We were just watching the game!" Barry answered, becoming flustered and awkwardly moving his hand off of me and into his hair.

He's blushing, I noticed. Why would he be doing that?

"What game?" Iris asked coolly. She definitely saw more in his reaction than I did, because she was smirking at us.

"Patriots vs. Cougars," I answered.

"Yeah, Artemis is a Patriots fan, so I thought it would be interesting to watch the game with her," Barry answered clumsily.

"And _was_ it interesting?" Iris asked again, putting a hand to her waist.

"The game itself wasn't. The Cougars won by a single point," I retorted.

"Oh. That kind of mentality won't work here, Artemis. You're in Cougar Country," Iris bantered authoritatively.

"That's what Barry and I were telling her!" Joe guffawed, and he high-fived his daughter.

"Alright, well it's a clear sign this Patriot needs to go home, where there aren't any Cougar fans hunting her down," I joked, and walked towards the door, when a set of keys threw itself in front of me. Barry caught the keys, and surprised, we both looked at Joe, who tossed them.

"Be a man and drop her home. It's late," Joe affirmed, and before I can tell them it's not an issue, Barry replies, "Got it!" and is on his way out the door. I thank Joe and Iris, and follow Barry out the door.

"Hey, guys! Wait up! I wanna come too!" Iris protested, but Joe stopped her.

"Not tonight, young lady," Joe asserted, his tone slightly stern, "You've had enough fun for today. We gotta talk about your little outings with my partner."

Iris gave her father a guilty look before they both wave goodbye to me one last time and closed the door behind them.

"Is everything okay?" I asked Barry as I got in the passenger seat of Joe's car.

"Yeah, it's all cool. Iris has been keeping her relationship with Eddie a secret from Joe, but he's a detective _and_ her father. It was only a matter of time before she slipped, anyway," Barry explained, backing the car out of the driveway.

"Why wouldn't Joe want her dating Eddie?"

"Because Eddie's a cop, and Iris could get hurt if she became too involved in his life."

"Does Joe know you like Iris?"

Barry shoved the breaks in surprise, and the car halted to a sudden stop, scaring me. He turned to me and smiled with raised eyebrows.

" _Yes_ , Artemis," he sighed, "Everyone knows I like Iris."

"Even Iris?"

"No, not Iris."

"What about Eddie?"

"Eddie would kill me if he found out," Barry cursed, putting the car into drive again.

"Well, I know," I mused, "But I won't tell a soul."

"Thank you, Artemis," Barry answered flatly. An idea occurs to me, but it's so insane, I'm unsure if I should share it. After a moment of silence, I decide to speak up.

"You know, if you're ever bogged down into third-wheeling with them, and want to get out of it, you're more than welcome to throw me under the bus again," I suggested awkwardly, "And, well, if you ever need someone to eat your food, or if you ever need a football buddy, you can always ask me."

I seriously hoped he wasn't getting the wrong idea about me. I wasn't one to tear relationships apart, anyhow, and I had no interest in the Barry/Iris/Eddie love triangle.

Lucky for me, Barry smiled and nodded his head.

"Sounds good, although I usually prefer my 'football buddies' to actually, you know, _understand_ the game," he declared.

"I've got some research to do, then."

Barry laughed. We arrived at my apartment complex, and Barry parked the car. Surprising me, he got out of the car and we walked to my apartment together, in silence.

"You know, Artemis?" He remarked, out of the blue, "Nobody's ever really tried to help me out like that, by offering to third-wheel with me. I don't think I can turn your offer down, now."

"Well, we can call it Operation Fourth Wheel, if you wanted to make it official," I offered, "How's that sound?"

"Operation Fourth Wheel," Barry mused, "You know, Cisco's come up with far worse things, so it's honestly not that bad."

We reached my apartment door, and he offered me a handshake, to seal the deal.

"I'll see you around, then, Artemis."

"Likewise, Bartholomew."

"Just call me Barry, please."

"Mmmm...It doesn't quite work that way, Gary."

Barry facepalmed himself, and I laughed.

"Although - Artemis?"

"Mmm?"

"We, uh, we should be careful. With our little ruse."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's not give Cisco further reason to make fun of us... He can be ...relentless... especially because we're _both_ his friends."

"Oh," I replied, registering his words, "Oh, yeah. No. Don't worry. You're the last person on Earth _I'd_ fall for."

Even in the dark, I was able to make out Barry's eyes glinting as he scowled at my surprise comment. I cringed.

"Thanks."

"No - shoot. I didn't mean it like - oh forget it," I conceded, giving up, "You're hopeless."

"I love you too. Good night," Barry said, smiling coyly at me as he turned away.

"Yeah, thanks for the ride home. And dinner. And the game. We'll get you next time."

"Ehhh, no you won't."

"Barry?"

"Yes?"

"Get out."

With that, Barry threw me one final smirk before disappearing around the corner, and once again, I found myself wishing I could spend just a _little_ more time with him.

Despite our annoying moments with each other, he really was a likable person.

We have more common ground than we thought, I realized, recalling the pictures of his dead mother.


	7. Unexpected Trouble

That night, I was fast asleep when my phone went off around 2 am or so. I groggily answered, and my drowsiness was soon scared off by the immediate sound of Dr. Wells yelling on the other end of the line.

"Get to STAR Labs right now! There's been a metahuman attack on 15th!"

"Is it Rajeet?" a voice that sounded like Cisco's asked calmly. It then struck me that I was in a group call.

"Yes! Hurry, we don't have much time before he gets away!" Dr. Wells demanded.

"We're on our way, sir," Caitlin assured, before dropping her line.

"I am too," said Cisco, before I heard two more clicks.

"Wait, could someone wait for me and give me a ride?" I asked, totally confused. I had no quick way of getting to the lab. Caitlin and Cisco both owned cars, while I got around via taxis or buses, or on foot.

"Hello? Dr. Wells?"

Nobody answered. Everyone had dropped their lines, and I was the last one left in the call. I tried calling them again, to no avail.

Panicking as to what could be going on, I hurried out of bed, slipped on a pair of shoes and my jacket, grabbed my phone and keys, and ran out the door in my pajamas.

Of course, at 2:27 am, public transportation does not exist, and I gathered myself and forced myself to sprint to the lab as fast as I possibly could, forcing myself to use whatever energy I had. The run took me about twenty or so minutes, but I barged into the Cortex, finding Cisco, Dr. Wells, and Caitlin Snow all working at computers at the main desk in the Cortex, each of them looking extremely worried, shouting orders at nobody in particular.

"No! No! No! Look to your left, and be careful! He's hiding!" Cisco yelled, reaching over and typing madly on one of the other computers.

"Aim properly before you take him down! You can't harm a civilian with that thing!" Caitlin added, just as stressed as Cisco was, "The damage is irreversible!"

"Guys, I'm so sorry I'm late! I don't own a car and none of you answered my calls," I said, panting from my run, surprising all three of them. All three of them removed their focus from the computer screens, and looked up at me, Cisco and Caitlin with what looks like shock, Dr. Wells with anger. Cisco immediately typed something else in, and the screens on the walls of the Cortex shut down.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, what are you doing here?" Dr. Wells asked, clearly unhappy with me.

"I got your call," I answered, still hyperventilating, "To come to the Lab as soon as possible."

I then realize what a mess I must look like. Unbrushed hair, old pajamas, running sneakers - I didn't even remember to bring my lab coat, although something tells me the three of them aren't conducting lab work. Caitlin, who was giving me a horrified look, glances away as Cisco brought her attention to one of the monitors. She picked up an earpiece, and began giving commands.

"I - you've got to keep him distracted. You're toast if he sees you."

"What happened? Is something wrong back at the Lab?" a familiar voice asked out of nowhere.

"No, nothing's wrong here. We just ...have a surprise visitor."

"Who? Is it Artemis?" the voice responded, edged with panic. I realized it's coming from the speakers, though I can't recognize it.

"Yes." Cisco replied flatly, still typing uncontrollably at the computers, "But she can't stay."

"No! I actually could use her help right now!" the voice protested, "Let her stay!"

"No!" Dr. Wells grumbled, reaching over and turning off the speakers, "Ms. Van Kleiss, you need to go home. _Now_."

"What - was that Barry?" I asked, finally placing the owner of that voice, "Is he in trouble? Is everything okay?"

Dr. Wells grew more aggravated by my questions.

"It's none of your concern. Why are you here, anyway?" He asked, blatantly annoyed by my presence.

"I already told you - I got your stupid call, and nobody told me what was happening, so I assumed the worst!" I snapped, getting just as angry, "What's happening to Barry? Is he caught up with Rajeet?" I asked, moving over to see what's going on on the computers.

"No!" Cisco argued, stepping forward to stop me before I could see what was happening on the monitors. Barry's voice could be heard yelling through the earpieces.

"I can help! Where's the Shocker? Do the police have it?" I argued.

"Artemis, you can't be here right now!" Cisco urged kindly, though I can tell my presence is making him worry.

"Why not? I work here!" I shouted, "Is Barry in trouble?"

"Barry's - Barry's with the police, and yes, they're trying to catch Rajeet," Caitlin explained gently, clearly afraid of letting me see what's going on.

"Cisco, get her out of here _now_!" Dr. Wells demanded, stressed out by both the situation on the computers and by my presence. Caitlin gave Barry more orders about where to act.

"Why is Barry even _at_ the scene? He works CSI!"

"Artemis, you -"

"Why'd you shut down the screens?" I questioned, remembering how Cisco turned off all of the monitors when I entered, "What are you doing that I'm not allowed to see? What are you all hiding?"

"Cisco, I swear to God if you _don't_ her out of here..." Dr. Wells growled threateningly. I threw him a cross look. Dr. Wells said he had high hopes for me, and that he wanted me to work for him. What were they doing right now that I wasn't allowed to be a part of?

"Artemis, I'm sorry we woke you up," Cisco apologized, pulling out a set of car keys from the pockets of his jeans and pressing them into my hands, "You weren't supposed to see this. Please go, and I promise we'll have answers for you in the morning."

"I don't care about being woken up," I declared, "I want to know what's going on!"

"This isn't the time for that!" Dr. Wells shouted. Beside him, Caitlin looked flustered as she typed something on one of the screens.

"Cisco - I really could use your help right now," she requested, giving Cisco a pleading look. Cisco turned back to face me, and gave me an apologetic look. At this moment, I am confused and extremely angry. _Why wouldn't they let me help them?_

"Artemis, _go_ ," Cisco asserted, squeezing my hand warmly, before turning me away, "We'll tell you everything in the morning. But right now, we _really_ can't have you here."

Tears involuntarily fringed my eyes, and I turned around and stormed off, giving Dr. Wells an unforgivingly menacing glare before I left.

"Why was she even _added_ to the notification circle?" He roared. Cisco and Caitlin answered with weak apologies.

"She's just a scientist here, you understand? I do **not** want her as a part of _this_ team!" was the last thing I heard Dr. Wells yell before I exited the Lab, the doors being locked from the inside to prevent me from entering again.


	8. A Rather Difficult Morning...

The next morning, I woke up extremely cranky.

I could barely sleep after witnessing _Operation: Exclude Artemis_ at STAR Labs, and spent much of the night pondering what the hell they were all up to, and why Dr. Wells had believed I was too inept to help. What the hell - even _Barry_ had asked to let me stay, and Barry was the one they all seemed to be helping!

Why _was_ Barry there?

Barry had told me that despite working at CCPD, he was only involved with CSI-related tasks. He seemed too cheery, gentle and careful to be delving into the gritty, dangerous and fast-paced work of a cop.

Caitlin and Cisco had been warning him to be careful, to watch out for the metahuman.

He must've run into Rajeet on his way home?

At 2 in the morning?

I didn't buy it.

Or - Barry did say he lived with his foster father, Joe, who was a detective. Maybe Barry was simply accustomed to tagging alongside Joe while Joe was on duty?

Was that it?

Why wasn't _Joe_ the one turning to STAR Labs for help, then? Or the Chief of Police? Why _Barry_ , of all people?

Nothing I postulated seem to make sense - something was missing, a key detail, something Dr. Wells didn't want me to know.

_"She's just a scientist here, you understand? I do not want her as a part of this team!"_

What could he have meant by that? Cisco, Caitlin and himself were scientists as well.

Weren't we already a team?

But something told me he was referring to their work last night. And Barry was involved. Whatever it was - I wouldn't be allowed to be a part of it.

Fine, I concluded. If Dr. Wells was going to be a prick about this, then I would too. I'd insist on it until I got my way in. I too would be revered just as much as my associates in his eyes. I too would be deemed just as necessary as they were. They can't have me build tech without letting me see how they used it.

 _Why bother causing trouble?_ The logical side of my conscience argued. You signed a contract before you began working. You get to keep your job, you still get an above average salary. Let them play their little games behind your back. You're not losing anything.

No, I conceded. This wasn't how it would work. You can't wake me up in the middle of the night only to ask me to go back home, that I'm not allowed to see what you're doing. I wouldn't be abused like that.

It's all or nothing, Wells...

I took a shower to calm my nerves, which was ineffective, so I decided to watch something on TV to distract my edgy mind.

Flipping the remote on for the first time, my television opened up to the Channel 52 News. A news reporter was speaking.

_"how the Red Streak had saved dozens of lives from a metahuman robbery last night, and had paralyzed the telekinetic attacker by stealing a weapon from STAR Labs. Footage from last night showed our hero donned in red, shooting what appeared to be electric waves at our villain, dubbing his metahuman powers useless. Authorities, however, are still unsure if STAR Labs knew about the theft, and -"_

What the -

The Red Streak had been the one using the Shocker?

But Cisco told me the police had it...

Questions raced through my mind, and I gruffed, angry with how last night played out. Dr. Wells had a lot of explaining to do...

I left my apartment ready for work, but decided to stop by Jitters in hopes that a fresh warm drink would be a last resort in soothing my anger. Barry was walking towards me and the restaurant as well, dressed in a black sports coat and jeans.

"Hey," he said, smiling kindly, holding the door open for me.

"Hi," I said harshly, pushing past him. _Don't blow up at him, Van Kleiss. He did nothing wrong here. Don't let your anger out at him._

"I - Is everything okay?" Barry asked, looking concerned.

"I don't know, Allen. Do I _look_ like everything's okay?" I snapped.

"Well, actually, you look great," Barry mused. I had arrived dressed in a new full-sleeved beige dress that fell to my knees, paired with simple black heels. His comment caught me off guard, and I blushed in face of my bad mood.

"Thanks. Sorry for the attitude."

"No problem. Nothing a little coffee can't fix, am I right?" Barry joked, brushing a hand on my shoulder as we walked to the counter. He must have assumed I was mad about my lack of sleep. I had actually called Barry when I got home from STAR Labs last night, but 3 am isn't exactly the time for inquisitive phone calls, especially not when you're in the middle of a metahuman attack. (Or so I had assumed.) I was actually grateful to have run into Barry now - maybe I could finally get some answers as to what happened last night.

We quickly ordered, then sat down at a table to eat. Iris joined us later on.

"Hey! Did you two watch the news this morning?" She asked enthusiastically.

"No?" Barry responded.

"I did," I answered, "The Red Streak used a weapon _I_ built to take down a metahuman."

Barry and Iris both turned to me.

"Wait - you built that thing?" Iris exclaimed, "That thing stopped the metahuman from hurting people!"

"Really now? I wouldn't know. STAR Labs didn't let me catch any of the action," I stated sourly, before facing Barry, "Did you see him last night?"

"Who? The Streak? Or the other metahuman?" Barry asked innocently.

"Either one of them. You were there, weren't you?" I asked.

"Where?" Barry asked.

"Last night, where the metahuman attacked. What was his name, Arjeet?"

"Rajeet. I was, initially, but I was unexpectedly separated from the police at some point. And no, I didn't see the Streak."

"Who had the Shocker?" I questioned.

"What?" Barry responded.

"The Shocker? The big gun with the purple lightning bolts painted on the sides. The one I showed you yesterday," I reminded in a flat, unamused voice, "Who had it?"

Barry gave me a look of confusion.

"I - I don't know. I didn't see it."

I nodded my head at him, before turning back to finish my coffee, still annoyed with my lack of information. Iris had been watching our exchange in silence the entire time.

"What were you two discussing just now?" She asked. I then realized she must've been totally lost for the entire conversation - despite being Joe's daughter and Eddie's girlfriend, she wasn't shared much information about police cases.

"Details of the attack last night. Sorry we can't tell you more," Barry answered.

"Oh, don't _worry_ , Iris. I'm on the same boat as you," I assured her, irritation dripping in my voice, "I know exactly what it feels like - to not have those closest to you share important information."

"Look, I'm sorry if you're upset," Barry interjected sympathetically, "But I'm not -"

_KROOOSH!_

Whatever Barry was about to say was interrupted by a booming explosion outside the restaurant. The three of us, as well as everyone else, turned to see what it was. It appeared someone had thrown a car across the street. Outside, people were panicking. Instinctively, I ran out of my seat and to the door, pushing it open and yelling for pedestrians and others to come inside the restaurant where it was safe. Barry and Iris caught up with me, and people poured into Jitters. Vibrations trembled through the ground as something moved towards us from the left. We turned and saw a strange-looking man, wearing a helmet and goggles and a silvery coat, laughing maniacally, standing amid the rubble as civilians ran past him to the safety of the shops and restaurants.

"Where is he?" the figure demanded, "Where is the one they call the _Red Streak_?"

Instinctively, I ran out of the restaurant towards him, but was pulled back by something. I turned and saw Barry giving me a scared look, with a tight grip on my arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to yank me back. I tried to jerk my hand out of his hold, but to no avail, as I was unable to counter Barry's firm strength.

"He wants the Streak, I'll get him the Streak," I commented easily, though I had no idea what that meant. I was still struggling to free myself from Barry, but by now, he got me back in Jitter's doorway, and effortlessly handed me off to Iris.

"Make sure she doesn't leave. She's just as reckless as you are," Barry asserted, and Iris nodded at him solemnly, though she loosened her hold on my arm.

_KROOOSH!_

The man in silver stomped a huge boot on the ground, creating huge tremors that knocked cars over to their sides, with huge rips in the road.

Barry turned around and pushed Iris and me back into Jitters, before looking around.

"Barry, what are you doing?" Iris asked, stepping forward to cling onto her stepbrother.

"I'm not sure. Stay here. Both of you," and with that, Barry ran down the sidewalk, in the same direction as the man sending off earthquakes.

"Barry, where are you going?!" I shouted, leaving Jitters and stepping out onto the sidewalk to watch him.

Barry's nowhere to be seen. Where on Earth did he go?

Across the street, a small boy is huddled up by the side of a car. Another quake passed by, causing me to stumble, and the car shook violently, nearly flipping over to its side where it would topple over the child. My heart stops at the sight of the innocent child - he can't be older than 3 years old - and has nobody to protect him. Without thinking, I ran onto the street, ignoring Iris' protests, staggering as the metahuman stomped more earthquakes, each soon after the last. The boy tried to crawl underneath the car, but I made my way over to him through the tremors, and pulled him out.

"Well, well well, what do we have here?" The metahuman asked delightedly as he noticed us, the sunlight glinting on his shiny outfit. The child is hiding his head in my neck, crying softly, and I wrapped my arms closer around him as I tried to devise a plan to safety. On the other side of the road, Iris has stepped out of the restaurant as well, and looked to me and the child with pure fear. She bent down and picked up a piece of rubble. _Iris, no!_

"Poor Mama. Poor, poor mama," the metahuman mused, creating more earthquakes as he moved closer to us. I picked the boy up and stepped away from the car - right in the middle of the street, directly in the metahuman's line of attack. Not exactly the best safety plan.

"I've always enjoyed eating dead families for breakfast!" The metahuman said with a crazy laugh. Fear hindered any rational decision I could otherwise make easily, and the adrenaline only made me want to pee myself. The child was wailing loudly on my shoulder now, and the best I can come up is backing away from our foe, until a rock threw itself at the man's head.

"Oh yeah?" Iris shouted, "Well, try vegan dieting! Artemis - _run_!"

I'm grateful for her idiocy, though I hope she stayed safe. I have no way to help her, though, so I turned and ran, only to snag my foot in a tear of concrete that must've cut itself out during one of the quakes, and fall forward - landing hard onto my closed arms, one hand instinctively backing the child's head.

My arms ache - badly - but I spied an open furniture store and got up onto my scraped knees, pushing the child out of my arms. I point to the furniture store, and the child registered my silent command, and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him into the store, dutifully closing the door behind him.

I wasn't one to run, however - not with this lunatic terrorizing the city. I turned and saw him walking towards Iris. _No!_

Iris had nowhere to go, and I let out an unearthly cry as I ran and rammed my shoulder right into the metahuman, causing him to yelp as he fell over.

"You okay?" I asked Iris, though now my shoulder ached terribly and my arms felt like jelly from my fall. My knees hurt too, but I forced myself to brace the pain.

Iris nodded, then widened her eyes as she screamed. Strong hands grasped my ankles with cold fingers, and my head painfully hit the concrete as my feet were pulled out from under me.

"She's either very brave," the metahuman lulled as he rose one booted foot towards me, "Or very, _very_ stupid."

I closed my eyes and waited for the metahuman to stomp his foot and kill me with an earthquake, but instead felt a gust of wind rip over my body, followed by the sound of a painful _thwack_ , my feet being dropped right after.

I dared myself to look and saw the Red Streak standing before me, the metahuman's body lying twenty feet or so away. The Streak turned towards me, and held out a vibrating hand to help me up.

"Took you long enough," I muttered, as I rose to my feet. The Streak didn't reply, and instead pushed me towards the sidewalk, nearly knocking me into Iris. Iris caught me, though, and we both looked at the Streak in amazement.

"Find safety," he ordered, his voice echoing within his throat, making it seem as if several people are speaking at once, "Now!"

Iris was startled by his command, and roped one arm around me as we ran down the sidewalk, looking for someplace we could hide. Near the end of the street, the metahuman rose again, this time, facing the Streak. The Streak braced himself to run into him.

"So nice of you to join us, Streaky!" The man declared with a laugh, brushing away dirt from his ugly metallic sleeves. The Streak dashed into him, and the two broke out into a fight, light tremors rushing through the ground below. Iris broke open a high window to a legal office, shattering it completely, and climbed inside.

"Artemis, come on!" She yelled, and I tried to force myself up onto the window ledge, but my arm was in no condition to support my weight, and I winced painfully.

"Iris - I can't!" I cried. Iris gave me a fearful look and held her arms out to me.

"No, you have to! Come on!" but before I could try again, a stronger earthquake wove through the ground below, knocking Iris off of the table she must have been standing on.

"Iris!" I shouted, but I had no way of making sure whether or not she was okay. There's no response, and the earthquakes are making it impossible to stand up properly. I turned around, and saw the Streak still engaged in combat with the metahuman, though the Streak is losing by a long shot, unable to get off of his knees as he was dealt immense punches by his opponent.

"Heheh! I do love a little shake-out before going to work!" The metahuman menaced, with his back to me completely. This has to end, I thought, as I spied a long metal beam fallen among the debris. An idea clicked in my brain, and I ran towards the beam, pulling it out of the mess. It's almost 5 feet long, and solid metal from head to toe. Before I can allow my arm to weaken again, or my conscience to get the better of me, I turned and ran towards the metahuman, and gripped the beam with both hands as I brought it crashing down on his head. The metahuman froze, and before I could even register whether or not my blow had knocked the metahuman out, the Streak rose from the ground, and picked him up by the shoulders, and ran off with him, a cloud of dust forming as he zoomed away.

Behind me, a small crowd cheered, and I thought I saw several phones being held up at me as people thronged out of the shops and restaurants and onto the destroyed street. The little boy I had saved earlier was in the arms of a woman who was crying tears of joy as she made eye contact with me.

 _Iris,_ I remembered, and ran back towards the brick building I last saw her in. The entrance is more or less destroyed, and I start panicking about how I could possibly find her, and more importantly _save_ her, when she appeared around the corner of the building, gripping her forehead, having left the ally beside it. I shivered with joy at seeing her again, and ran to her, enveloping her in a surprise hug. Taken aback, she returned the hug before pulling away and holding me at arm's length.

"You, girl, are my new hero," she stated, smiling proudly. I grinned, but winced - Iris had her hand right on my shoulder, which I had rammed into the metahuman.

We stood there, awashed in gratefulness that the other was safe, when we both realized someone was missing.

"Where's Barry?" I asked, astonished at the fact that we both had forgotten about him. The last I had seen of him was him running away as he tried to keep Iris and me contained in the restaurant.

"Don't know," Iris responded, disturbed by his disappearance as well, "Let's go find him."

When we faced the street again, the entire block is crowded with people trying to find their friends and family amid the destroyed cars and ripped concrete. Police cars have arrived at the scene, and Eddie appeared out of the mob, running towards Iris. He pulled her into a loving hug and kissed her forehead.

"Thank God you're okay," he exclaimed, wiping her bangs away from her eyes, "What happened here?"

Before Iris could answer, Eddie faced me and widened his eyes at me in shock.

"Holy shit, Artemis. Are you okay?"

"What?" I asked, looking down at myself. My new dress is covered in dirt and pebbles, with an ugly rip at the knee, and I lost my shoes a long way back when I was trying to recover the child. Blood is streaked across my sleeves, though I am far more worried about the searing pain in the back of my head, which resulted from my head-on collision with the asphalt, and the unignorable jolt in my shoulder.

"This is nothing," I joked, "It's not as bad as it looks. We're looking for Barry."

"Barry?" Eddie asked, not looking away from my arms.

"Yeah. We lost him around the same time the wacko earthquaking metahuman showed up," Iris explained, "And Artemis tried to help an exposed child before the Streak arrived."

"Wait - the Streak is responsible for this mess?" Eddie asked in disbelief.

"The other metahuman was. I can give you a description of him later - I got a good close-up of him," I added, "The Streak took him down and ran off with him."

"Don't be so humble," Iris mused, "He helped _you_ take him down."

"What?" Eddie asked, confused.

"Iris!" Detective Joe yelled as he joined us. Iris broke free from Eddie's embrace to clasp her arms around her father.

"Are you two safe?" Joe asked.

"I am. Artemis might need to go see a doctor." Iris said, as her father turned his attention to me, gaping at my condition.

"I'm not the one you need to be concerned about right now," I stated, "Barry went missing, and we can't find him."

"Don't worry about him. He's the one who called us over here. He's fine," Joe assured. Eddie, Iris and I gave him looks of confusion.

"Okay, well, we need to stake out what happened here. STAR Labs is just as surprised about this as we are. We've got to make sure everyone's safe," Eddie described.

STAR Labs, I scoffed. My favorite place in the world.

"Everyone's fine, Eddie," Iris responded, "And we owe that to Artemis. You really should have seen her. She's totally fearless."

I ignored her comment, and crossed my arms as I faced Eddie. Iris excused herself to go assess the damage back at Jitters, and Joe left to go help the civilians. A second officer joined Eddie and I, and Eddie explained to him how I became involved in the scene.

"What did you see? And how did you get so banged up?" the officer asked, pulling out a small notepad and pen.

"Well, it all started when a crazy quaking metahuman threatened to terrorize everyone if the Streak didn't show up..." I said with a smile. I told them about Barry telling Iris and me to stay indoors before he disappeared, about how I had seen a young toddler alone on the street, and my mishap of an attempt to rescue him before he'd be done away with. I also told him how Iris and I managed to distract the metahuman, before the metahuman pulled me off of my feet and threatened to kill me, and how the Streak arrived just in time. Iris and I had tried to find safety, but I couldn't follow after her because of my arm, and how I had made that split second decision to blow a crowbar atop the metahuman's head as he was distracted by the Streak, and how the Streak ran off with him seconds later.

"Wow. I normally don't say this to people, but that was very heroic of you, even if it was equally idiotic," the officer asserted, "The child owes you his life."

In the background, the said boy smiled and waved at me, as his mother made a phone call, gripping his other hand. I smiled back at him.

"Well, thank you both for your time," I responded, "You know where to find me if you've got any more questions. Do let me know if you find anything."

"Roger that," Eddie responded, and I turned away from them to go greet my new friend.

"Hey, little guy!" I swooned, as I got down on one scratched knee to be able to talk to the boy face to face. The boy blushed and hid behind his mother's leg. The mother ended her call and scooped her son up. I rose to greet her.

"Hi," I said, involuntarily holding a hand out to her, "Your son is very adorable. He got himself into quite the scramble earlier."

The mother smiled graciously at me, and her son buried his head in her shoulder, still smiling shyly. Instead of taking my hand, the woman wrapped her free arm around me in a makeshift hug.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did," she moaned, sniffling back tears, "I don't know how he got separated from me, but you saved his life. Thank you _so,_ so much."

"It's really not a problem. There was no way I could've stayed behind and watched him get hurt," I assured, reaching up to tickle the boy under his chin, "What's your name, kiddo?"

The child giggled and pulled away from me.

"It's okay," the mother whispered, smiling at his reaction, "Tell her your name, Theo."

"Theodowe," the child murmured, blushing once again at me.

"Theodore? Very gorgeous name," I gushed, giving the mother a supportive smile, "You stay out of trouble, okay, Theodore? You had your mother and I very worried." I said, wagging a finger at the child. The boy chortled, and I nodded at the mother before walking away.

"Wait - what's your name?" The mother called out, several people turning around to watch, "At least give me something to tell him when he's older and remembers this!"

Before I could answer, a bolt of lightning passed through the crowd, with a crimson man at its head, running to the end of the street where he disappeared.

"It's the Scarlet Speedster!" someone cried out.

"The Crimson Comet!"

"The Streak! He's back!"

I turned and watched the horizon where he had vanished, waiting for him to reappear. Nothing. He had just bolted through the street, without due reason.

As I'm about turn away, a second gust of wind passed in the opposite direction of the street, indicating that we are in the speedster's presence once again. This time, though, I am gently pushed back towards the sidewalk. In my hands appeared a bunch of red roses encased in cellophane, a white silk ribbon tying them all together at their stems.

"What?" I asked, wondering where the flowers could have come from. Murmurs elicited through townspeople who noticed my confusion at my new ...gift.

It then strikes me that the Red Streak must have given me the roses.

Before I could say or do something to react, another squall of wind blasts through the street, followed by a bolt of yellow lightning, only this time, it hooks around and turns to run right into me.

I let out an inhumanly shriek, and closed my eyes as air ripped past me. I dared myself to open my eyes, and saw the city morph into one giant gray/blue blur, and grimaced, because the Streak was carrying me and had my shoulder pressed into his chest. Before I could look up at his masked face, I was dropped off on a grassy lawn, and just like that, the speedster ran off into the city and disappeared. I recognized the area immediately, seeing STAR Labs' auxiliary towers two blocks or so away in the distance.

I really gotta stop getting myself tangled up in these metahuman attacks, I thought, before I noticed a small notecard tucked into the ribbon of the roses. I pull it out, and turned it over to read what it said. A message was handwritten in neat, sharp letters.

_Thanks for the help :)_

The note is signed with an encircled bolt of lightning penned under the message.

The Red Streak had the courtesy to thank me with a bouquet of two dozen red roses.

Dr. Wells wasn't the only one who had explaining to do...

###

"The Red Streak gave me flowers," I announced, walking barefoot into the Cortex, holding the roses up before dropping them onto a table. Dr. Wells and Cisco are the only ones in the room, and both looked up at me, their gazes quickly turning horrified as they took in my appearance.

"What happened to you this morning?" Cisco gasped, and I know I must look horrible - walking into STAR Labs in a dirty, ruined dress, with bloody scratches everywhere, barefoot too, to top it all off. I shrugged apathetically.

"Sorry I'm late. The traffic this morning was horrible," I said sarcastically, "You both owe me answers."

"We owe _you_ answers? Why don't you tell us why you look like you just survived World War Z?" Cisco countered, still giving me that look of concern. Dr. Wells watched me expressionlessly.

"I was at Jitters, and a metahuman attacked, so I took it upon myself to save those in need." I answered calmly, "Including the Streak himself."

"Well that's... interesting..." Cisco muttered, knitting his eyebrows together at me. A door opened to our right, and Caitlin exited the medical labs, removing her gloves. She froze when she saw me, and immediately gasped in horror.

"Oh my god - Artemis, _what happened_?" She asked in shock.

"A stupid metahu - wait - is that _Barry_?" I inquired, completely ignoring her question as I spotted a familiar figure seated at the gurney behind the lab windows. I brushed right past her and pushed open the door to the lab, leaving my associates outside. The door swung shut behind me.

"Barry!" I gasped, walking over to him. He turned and looked at me with a bruised face.

"Oh my god... Are you okay?" I asked, stepping in front of him. He gave a single, expressionless nod and immediately dropped eye contact. I slowly raised one of my hands and put it to the side of his face, carefully lifting his jaw up until he looked at me again. His bottom lip is busted, and there are bruises adorning his usually plain cheeks. A large purple welt has found home above one of his eyebrows, and there's a rosy bruise about his neck. Each wound is covered in a clear ointment that I know Caitlin must have applied.

"Did the metahuman do this to you?" I inquired in a quiet voice, though I already know the answer. Barry gave a quick shaky nod before looking away again.

"Can you talk?" I asked. Stupidity washed through me after he nodded and gave a weak smile.

Why hadn't I noticed him back on First Street? Where could he have gone that I managed to miss him? How did this happen?

A weakness broke out within me, and I felt terrible for letting this happen to him.

How could I have so caught up in playing the hero that I had failed to look after my own _friend_?

I cautiously wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into an apologetic hug. Surprised, he returned the embrace. He held me close, with my head resting against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I finally broke out in a hoarse voice, as we pulled away from each other.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" He asked quietly, finally speaking up as he gave me a solemn look. I dropped my arms from around his shoulders, but he caught them in his hands.

"I shouldn't have let this happen to you," I said, trying my best to keep my voice even.

 _My_ fault. This was _my_ fault. I was foolish enough to let Barry run off - right into the face of danger. I could've stopped him from getting hurt like this.

"Hey," Barry called in a kind voice, bowing his head to look me in the eye, "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You - you ran off, and I didn't stop you," I said, my voice cracking, "If I did, you could've been safe, and this might not have happened."

"No," Barry answered, lifting my chin up with a bent finger, "You're not responsible for _anything_. I'm okay. Promise. It's not as bad as it looks."

"See, but here's a little secret - I say the same _exact_ thing whenever _I'm_ bent up and bruised," I replied, attempting a smirk, "So I know _you're_ lying now as well."

Barry dropped his hands from my face and sighed, though he had a content look on his face.

"Well, I may have been knocked out and out of sight, but I _did_ hear what was going on," he explained, raising an eyebrow at me. He gently placed his hands on my forearms "And you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeves."

"Oh, don't worry," I joked nonchalantly, "I've got bruises up my sleeves too."

Barry looked puzzled for a second, before dropping his gaze to my hands, which were on his knees. He inhaled quickly at the sight of the mauve-colored blood stains embellishing my tan sleeves, and quickly got off the bed and walked towards the door, pulling me by the hand behind him.

"Dr. Snow?" He called out, opening the door into the Cortex, "You've got another patient today."

For an added effect, he held my arm up and pulled my sleeve down, revealing a nasty gash that must be 4 or 5 inches long. Through the window, I can see Cisco raise an eyebrow and turn two shades lighter, and Caitlin immediately dropped her things and quickly made her way back to the medical lab.

Dr. Wells was the only one who showed no reaction to my wound.

"Thank you, Barry," Caitlin greeted, before quickly pushing him out into the Cortex and closing the door behind him before he could react.

"H-hi, Caitlin."

"Hello, Artemis," Caitlin responded confidently, as she flipped a light switch that flooded the room in white light, and quickly dropped the blinds over the windows, concealing us from the men. She pulled out an extra set of clothing and white flipflops from a small cabinet before reaching for her medical supplies on an adjacent table.

"Now, you're in _slightly_ worse condition than Barry was..." she crooned as she set out bottles of various tablets and liquids along with tools I am unfamiliar with, "Mind if I clean you up a bit?"

###

In roughly half an hour or so, Caitlin has washed every cut and scrape on my body, and lathered me up with different kinds of medicines, salves and ointments. She bandaged up my shoulder and the long cut on my arm, and rubbed a special liquid onto my sore bruises, and has applied something to a cut on the back of my head, where I had hit the pavement. According to her, I had been bleeding there without even knowing. Several bloodied medical wipes proved her to be telling the truth.

"Thank you so much, Caitlin," I stated as Caitlin put her things back. Caitlin had offered me a fresh set of her own extra clothes which she kept at the lab so I could change out of my ruined dress. I'm now dressed in my own STAR Labs t-shirt, and in a sweater and jeans that are both a little too big for me. I'm not one to complain, though.

"No problem, Artemis," she mused, as she washed her hands at the sink, "Anything else you'd like for me to handle?"

"Do you offer counseling services as well?" I joked.

She turned around and faced me in seriousness, "I don't see why not? What's bothering you?"

The fact that she was actually willing to listen to me kind of threw me off, but again, I was overridden with appreciation for my doctor friend.

"To be blatantly honest," I started, though I'm not sure how to continue. Was it even a good idea to talk with her about this? Caitlin was biting her lower lip nervously, and was watching me expectantly.

The woman just gave you a set of her own clothes, Artemis, and literally just washed out all of your stupid bruises that you weren't even willing to get treated.

You can definitely trust her.

"Please don't have me arrested or thrown into prison, or anything," I tried. Caitlin looked addled by my words, "But I think Dr. Wells is forcing you and Cisco to keep secrets from me."

Guilt and confusion suddenly lit through her eyes.

"Actually, your reaction just changed my mind. Now, I _know_ Dr. Wells is forcing you and Cisco to keep secrets from me," I affirmed, "What's up with that? What's going on here that I'm not allowed to see? And what _was_ that last night?!"

"Artemis," Caitlin began, rubbing her hands anxiously, "This lab is... a pretty complicated place... to put it lightly. Yes, Dr. Wells is keeping secrets from you, but really - it's for your own safety."

I guessed I was giving her a cross look, because she smiled before she continued.

"Hey - it's nothing personal. He was like that with me and Cisco too. Just... Just give him a few weeks to get used to having you here, and before you know it, you'll be involved with the same projects as the rest of us," she quipped hopefully.

"Why is Barry always here?" I questioned, "And why were you guys talking to him last night during the metahuman attack?"

"Well," Caitlin paused and contemplated for a second, before answering me, "The only way I can put it is that Barry looks up to Dr. Wells pretty much like a father. Dr. Wells saved his life after the particle accelerator blew up. And - you know - he is pretty good friends with me and Cisco. If I was Barry, it would only make sense to spend time here often."

That actually made a lot of sense. I felt foolish for thinking STAR Labs was a bad place. I was being nosy and irrational.

But Caitlin had completely ignored my second question.

"What was happening last night? When I showed up?"

"That was an emergency," Caitlin quickly replied, "The police had the gun you and Cisco made, and weren't sure of how to use it, so naturally, they kept in contact with us."

"But you were talking to Barry."

"What?"

"Last night," I repeated, "You weren't talking to a police officer. You were talking to Barry Allen. A crime scene investigator. Not a cop. And I don't know much about what it's like working with a police department, but I know that CSI's visit the crime scene _after_ the crime, not when it's happening. That's a cop's job."

Caitlin gave me a blank look, unable to answer. I remembered something else - something Barry had told me earlier.

"Caitlin, Barry said he didn't even know where the Shocker _was_. And the news this morning said the Red Streak had it," I continued, "So mind telling me what was really going on? Or are you going to keep lying?"

I felt bad for taking advantage of Caitlin like this, but I knew I wouldn't get anywhere with Dr. Wells or even Cisco.

Barry? What was there to say about Barry? He was just their friend, a CSI guy, caught in the middle of the action. He had nothing to do with any of this.

"Caitlin, why were you talking to Barry instead of the Chief of Police, or a detective, or a lieutenant? Why Barry - of all people? That's all I'm asking."

She gulped, before responding in a shaky voice.

"Because, Artemis, Barry is important to this lab in ways I could not tell you," she explained, her voice soon turning dry, "And we all care for him deeply. If you have a problem with us trying to look after someone we care about, then no amount of medicine can help you."

With that, she speed-walked out of the lab, leaving me alone in the medical lab.

"Wait, Caitlin! That's not what I meant!" I cried, chasing after her. She was with Cisco at a computer now, and gave me a helpless, but stern, look.

"Then ask Dr. Wells. I don't know what else I could tell you."

I mumbled an apology to her, and swore to myself I wouldn't confront her like that again. Caitlin was a good person. It was Dr. Wells who was putting her up to this.

"Then where is he?" I inquired.

"He's in his office," Cisco responded, gesturing to a closed door in the Cortex. I thanked him, and stormed off in that direction, ignoring his protests.

"No, Artemis! You can't just barge in! They're discussing something important!"

I was about to throw the door open, but stopped when I heard the voices conversing inside.

"-wants to keep working here, then we _have_ to tell her soon." Barry pleaded quietly, "She risked her life out there. We can't put her to that again."

"Barry, I won't hear of it. To tell her the truth would mean putting her in immense danger. You know how her parents died," Dr. Wells asked, though he doesn't sound particularly concerned, "What if she's next?"

"My mother was killed the same way, Dr. Wells, and I'm fine," Barry argued.

"Are you?" Dr. Wells questioned, "Are you really? Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me Artemis can stay safe the same way you can?"

Silence.

What did Dr. Wells mean - the same way you can? _You know how her parents died. What if she's next?_ Was someone going to kill me?! Was - was the Red Streak evil?!

"No. No, she can't," Barry finally responded, "But either way, she's in danger. And she has to know."

 _What?_ How was Barry "safer" than I was? What was I in danger of?

"Mr. Allen, you are not the one who gets to decide that."

"After seeing what she did today, I think I am."

"Barry -"

"No. I'm not going to let her endanger herself when she has no need to. I-"

"What _is_ it that I'm in danger of?" I demanded, pushing the door open and stepping inside Dr. Wells' office.

"Ms. Van Kleiss! How _rude_!" Dr. Wells raged, pounding his hands on the table in frustration, as if it will get him out of his wheelchair, like he could strangle me with his bare hands.

The thought made me laugh silently.

In your _dreams,_ grandpa.

Barry turned in his chair and faced me, giving me a confused look.

"How much did you hear?" he asked calmly, though he is surprised.

"Just enough," I answered coolly, enjoying how my vagueness irritated Dr. Wells, "So how is it you're safer than me? Could I get some or it? And who wants to kill me? Other than Dr. Wells - that is."

Barry rose from his chair. I held a hand up for him to stop, and closed the door behind me with my other hand.

"No - stay," I commanded, gesturing towards the chair. Barry turned and reluctantly sat down again.

"Actually, this is just perfect," Dr. Wells mused in a raspy voice, "I needed to talk to you as well."

" _I_ get to be the one asking questions here, not you, old man," I criticized. Barry threw me a disturbed glance, as if he's unnerved by how I insulted my boss. I don't care.

"Why were you talking to him last night? And why didn't you want me there?" I demanded, looking right into Dr. Wells' eyes so he is unable to look away.

"Easy. He was entangled in the metahuman attack," Dr. Wells assured, leaning back in his wheelchair.

"So why didn't you just tell me that last night? Why'd you have to keep it a secret from me?"

"You would ask too many questions. Just as you are doing right now."

"I actually wouldn't. I understood that you were all in a stressful situation. I'd have tried to help. Barry _wanted_ me to stay and help. There's something you're hiding from me."

"And what would that be?" Dr. Wells mused.

"Do _not_ play games with me," I exclaimed, leaning forward, "You're hiding something from me here. Something you don't want for me to know. Yesterday, I had asked you to not keep secrets from me, and you obliged."

"I did no such thing."

His reply threw me off, as I knew it was true, and I glared at him.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, it's a matter of your own safety. If I'm keeping something from you, you have to trust it's for your own well-being."

"How is not knowing what I'm in danger of going to keep me safer?!"

"Ms. Van Kleiss, I -"

"Barry," I interrupted, confronting my friend, "You don't even work here, yet you know more than I do. You've been here a lot longer than I have. What _is_ it that's going on here that supposedly could get me killed?"

Barry mulled over my question, and rose again before responding.

"I disagree with your logic, Dr. Wells. At this point, I see the truth not as something that would endanger her, but something that would actually protect her. This is between you and Wells now," He said, getting up to push his chair in, "Our opinions on the matter may differ, Dr. Wells, but facts are facts, and we all saw what happened out there. If something like today happens to her again, I promise you right now I will not hesitate to tell her what's really going on here."

And with that, Barry left the office, leaving me alone with Dr. Wells. _What? Barry knew what was happening here?_

Dr. Wells cleared his throat to get my attention and I turned back to face him.

"Now, if you're done making a fool of yourself, Ms. Van Kleiss..."

"What do you want?" I snarled, scowling at him.

"For you to learn some manners," he replied, smiling harshly through his glasses, "You are no longer a full-time employee of the lab. You won't need to come back in until next week. You can go home, and think about how you've been acting. If you come back before then, you do so on the pain of arrest and termination from your position as an engineer here."

" _What?!_ " I shouted, getting up from my chair, "What on earth - you can't do that!"

"As your employer, I have full right to do so," He mused, adjusting his glasses as he enjoyed my shock, "Don't worry - it won't affect your salary. I figured keeping you away from the lab would be a bigger punishment than simply shaving a few bucks off of your snack money."

I stared at him in disbelief. Did he really think I was that shallow? He couldn't do this!

"And you should consider yourself lucky. Most employers would fire you on the spot for your lack of discipline. I'm willing to overlook that, and give you a warning instead." he said, his eyes gleaming madly.

I frowned at him, but I had no words to counter him.

"And Ms. Van Kleiss, I apologize for how things have been playing out lately," Dr. Wells added, "But suspicion is not your friend. You'll have to trust me on this. And please - don't ask questions whose answers you aren't prepared to hear. I'll see you next Tuesday."

How Harrison Wells managed to unravel me with a few stabs of words - I could never know, but I left his office, infuriated, and grabbed my flowers off of the table, turning away to leave.

"Woah - Artemis!" Barry called out, running in front of me to stop me, "What happened?"

"Harrison Wells is being a prick. He thinks I'm too immature and nosy to work here," I replied in a surly voice.

Barry seemed flustered by my respond.

"Well - did you try talking to him? Maybe he could -"

"You're all hiding something from me. That much is clear now," I stated, turning to address the three of them. After overhearing the conversation in Dr. Wells' office, I knew Barry was in on it too now.

"And I don't know how to feel about working someplace where secrets that _could get me hurt_ are kept from me."

"Artemis, it's not that we don't want for you to know," Cisco assured in an apologetic voice, "It's for your own safety."

"For my _safety_?! Cisco, do you even _know_ what happened to me this morning on my way to work?!" I responded, keeping my voice calm, "I gave up _any_ self-concern to try and stop a metahuman. At this point, I would _hope_ you understand that I value the safety of others more than my own. If you're working to stop metahumans behind my back, then you should know I'd be _more_ than willing to help you. It's why I chose to work here!"

Cisco had been effectively silenced by my words, and his gaze fell to the table. I felt bad for being so condescending, but I needed to get a point across. _I_ was to be taken seriously, and I was taking _my work_ seriously. I wouldn't be undermined because of a petty concern for my well-being.

"Who gave you those?" Caitlin asked, eyeing the roses in my hand.

"I - I think the Streak did," I explained, pulling out the note from inside the folds of the ribbon to give to her.

"The Streak did?" She questioned, knitting her eyebrows as she read the inscription.

"Yup. At least s _omeone_ appreciates me trying to help," I retorted. Caitlin looked up at me with a blank expression, and handed the note back to me.

"What, um, what are you going to do with them?" Cisco asked nervously.

"Beats me. I'll probably just stick them in a vase and use them for decoration?" I replied.

"You're not going to use them to try and run a DNA scan or anything like that?" Cisco inquired, still edgy.

"A DNA scan? What - to like, find out his identity?" I questioned. Cisco tensed.

"That never occurred to me, actually," I murmured, taking in the possibility of knowing who the man behind the mask is.

Cisco and Caitlin froze, and watched me take a wiff of the roses.

"I don't think I will, actually." I answered, after thinking about it for a while.

"Oh... Good," Cisco answered, before turning fretful again, "I mean, oh. Why?"

Why was he acting so strange?

"Because I don't know how effective a DNA scan would be, anyway. I think he was wearing gloves." I said, finally turning to Barry, who had been watching me with worry, arms crossed over his chest. I handed him the note, "You could try and see what it comes up with, but I'm not too interested in knowing who the Streak is, honestly."

"You're not?" Caitlin asked, "I mean - that's good thing. I've heard that the Streak is very dangerous. You wouldn't want to, um, get on his bad side."

"Really? Because yesterday, you told me he wasn't real," I remarked, " _Now_ you're telling me he's a threat?"

Caitlin tensed again, and I can tell I've hit a chord. Something is off about her inconsistency, about the conversation Barry had with Dr. Wells.

"STAR Labs is keeping secrets from me about the Streak," I murmured, "Astounding."

It all made sense now. The Streak had been at the attack last night - the news report said _he_ had been the one using the Shocker - and Dr. Wells had made me leave. And today, Barry was telling Dr. Wells to tell me the truth about STAR Labs.

STAR Labs was somehow involved with the Streak!

Caitlin and Cisco widened their eyes at me in shock, only proving that I made the right conclusion.

"But I honestly don't think he's dangerous. Not yet, anyway. He seems like he's trying to help... And I don't know much about him, but if keeping things that way will ensure he can do his job, then I wouldn't want to know who, or what, he is, anyway."

Caitlin and Cisco seemed to relax, and nodded at each other.

"However, I _do_ know that you all are hiding something very important from me. But I'll figure it out," I threatened, before snatching the note out of Barry's hands, "Give me that back. It's mine."

Barry looked lost, as if he's got something he wanted to say, but couldn't figure out the right words.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" I muttered. Barry looked away from me, and faced Caitlin and Cisco.

"You guys are _working_ with the Streak?! Unbelievable!" He exclaimed in astonishment.

"What - you didn't know either?!" I asked, taken aback by Barry's shocked reaction.

"No! I didn't!" He declared, shaking his head disapprovingly at our friends before muttering, "Abso _lute_ ly heartbreaking. I can't believe you guys."

"But Barry, you don't have any proof," Caitlin brought up weakly, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, dude. You can't just make an accusation like that," Cisco added, smiling knowingly at his friend.

Why were they smiling? They had been lying to Barry, and they thought it was funny? _Disgraceful!_

"I won't hear of it," Barry said, turning to put his arm around me, "Come on, Artemis. Let's get out of here... Working with the Streak - that's insane."

"And untrue!" Cisco called out. I gave him a skeptical look.

"Whatever. You're right, bro," I agreed, "Let's get out of here."

"Wait a minute - _bro_?!" Cisco exclaimed. Barry and I turned around to see him looking at us in disbelief.

"Barry, you've been brotherzoned. Rest in peace, potential relationship."

Barry gave me a wounded look and pouted. I arched an eyebrow up at him.

"What? You can't blame _me,"_ I said casually, "I'm not going to try starting something with someone who's busy pining away for a certain _Iris West_."

Barry seemed shocked by my words, and his bruised cheeks bloomed with a hot pink blush.

"That was _coooold_ , Artemis," Caitlin remarked, though she smiled. She looked entertained by the tension I just unnecessarily created between myself and Barry.

"I _still_ ship it," Cisco asserted, taking a sip of a drink he pulled out of nowhere, clearly enjoying the shock on Barry's face.

I saluted the three of them, and left them in the Cortex as I walked out.

Yup. Today was definitely one of the strangest days of my life.


	9. Metahumans and Mysteries

Despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet, I was exhausted.

The second I got home, I plopped impotently down onto my couch, and screamed as loud as I could into one of the cushions.

Dr. Wells had kicked me out of STAR Labs for an _entire_ week.

Dr. Wells was telling Cisco and Caitlin, and even _Barry_ , to keep secrets from me about the Streak.

Dr. Wells was lying to me.

Dr. Wells claimed to know that something would kill me, and chose not to tell me, because he thought it was for my best.

Dr. Wells.

Dr. Wells.

Dr. Harrison flipping Wells.

I couldn't understand _why_ he was doing this. What did he have against _me_? I thought he respected me, and even cared for me! He was the one responsible for the roof over my head - for the very sofa I was lying on! Dr. Wells was the kindest man I had ever met - up until last night!

Didn't he see how much I loved STAR Labs? How compatible I was with the team? What had I done wrong, other than show up to the lab when I received the group call about Rajeet's attack?

Moments like these, when I felt lied to, betrayed, helpless, were the ones when I missed my parents the most.

The two were strong advocates of working together, and would most likely have frowned upon Dr. Wells' senseless behavior. He wasn't the same man who was once their friend...

I had actually met Harrison Wells once or twice as a child, each instance being very short, and I'm not sure if it is because of the memory being worn down and faded with the passage of time, or whether my perception as a child distorted reality, but he had been very ... different... back then.

The first time we met was when my parents brought me with them to a special conference for Harvard alumni. It must have been a class reunion, or a banquet, or some similar type of event, because the Harrison Wells who had approached my family _then_ couldn't stop smiling, couldn't stop gawking at what an "adorable" family we were, couldn't stop laughing over fond college memories with my parents, both of whom had told me he was a good friend. _That_ Harrison Wells was energetic, peppy, excitable, maybe even a tad bit goofy.

The next time we had met him was at our home, and he had brought a friend - a beautiful shy, blonde woman named Tess Morgan. They came to congratulate my parents on their astounding scientific discoveries and the success of their laboratories, and to invite them as business partners to the laboratory he was planning on opening with his fiancee, Tess, in a small urban town named Central City.

The death of Tess Morgan must have truly been a scarring loss, because the Harrison Wells I knew now was _nothing_ like the one I had met earlier in my life, and the wheelchair wasn't the only difference. Dr. Wells had turned reticent and sour, and had lost his easygoing luster, his cheery demeanor. His smile, or what I remembered of it as a child, had been bright, genuine, and provoked smiles and easiness among others. Now, it seemed strained, cold, and forced.

I wondered how my parents would react to seeing how much their colleague had changed, and how bitter he had become. More so, how would they have reacted to finding out he had put me on probation from visiting his lab soely because I walked in on a secret operation?

Was I being too hard on him? He had lost the love of his life, and his lab - his life's work - had backfired on him, dubbing him a disgraced scientist, a martyr in the science world, even.

Of course, that didn't give him _any_ excuse to be rude to me.

He wasn't the only one who had suffered tragedy - my father was mysteriously killed the night he received a Nobel prize, and I lost my mother only a week later. If he expected me to show him sympathy for the loss of his former love and his reputation, then he was equally responsible for his actions and should accept the consequences of forcing me out of his lab.

Couldn't he see that I only wanted to help him? I was _obsessed_ with science, and had only dreamed of using my knowledge to benefit the world. Getting a job at STAR Labs was a dream come true. Heck, Harrison Wells _himself_ had been an idol of mine growing up - his advancements in the world of chemistry and physics were eye-opening, and held great promise for the world - that is, until the particle accelerator exploded, and he decided to act like a complete sourpuss around me.

 _Enough_ , I chastised myself.

He's only human, and he never expected you to show up last night. Whatever he was doing with Cisco and Caitlin - and Barry - saved lives. Wasn't that enough?

And - maybe - an apology would be in order. You _were_ yelling at him in front of his own coworkers, and he _is_ your employer. Last night might not have made sense, but disrespecting him wouldn't get you anywhere.

I concluded that I'd try to fix the damage I had created in my relationship with Dr. Wells, that I'd find a way to earn back his respect for me, but I would not forgive him for keeping secrets from me.

So... secrets...

For starters, Dr. Wells said that the Cosmic Treadmill was an old failed invention?

If it was old, then why was it spotless? Not a drop of dust on it anywhere - it was obvious enough it had been recently used. _Desired speed and input?_ What on _earth_ could those terms mean? It didn't make sense to me about why Dr. Wells would keep an old mistake a secret from me, when everyone already knew the particle accelerator's explosion was his fault...

And the Red Streak... Was STAR Labs really working with him? The news report said he had used the Shocker - he stole it from STAR Labs. And Dr. Wells was forcing Cisco and Caitlin to lie to me about him. All three of them said it was to keep me safe... Was it true then? That the Streak really did mean to kill me? That he was the same demon from the night my mother died?

_Two dozen red roses and a handwritten thank-you note..._

Why would he give me flowers, then, if he was going to kill me? Not just any flowers - red roses, an infamous symbol of love, nonetheless. And go out of his way to thank me for helping him? Either the Streak had fallen in love at first sight with me, or something was _definitely_ up.

Maybe I should _have_ asked Barry to try and run a DNA test on the note...

Though I had only seen the Streak twice, he didn't exactly strike me as a malevolent being. Both times, he had shown up to take down other metahumans who were threatening the city. And Iris' blog was full of other similar accounts. She had secretly confessed to me that he had spoken to her. Though the last part seemed a bit stretched, Iris didn't seem like an untrustworthy person. She believed the Streak was a secret guardian angel - a being that watched over the city and kept everyone safe.

If this was so, then why was Dr. Wells keeping the truth from me?

And for some strange reason, I couldn't quite figure Barry Allen out either. Sure, the guy was as nice as could be, and we got along fine, but something just bugged me about him. Waking up from a nine-month long coma, his body should have withered away, and there should have been some lasting after-effects on his brain.

In truth? Tall, kind, smart, attractive - he was the _last_ person you'd suspect of having gone through something so horrible. He was built like an Olympian athlete, and struck me as someone just as smart, maybe even smarter, than Caitlin or Cisco. Not that I wished ill upon him, but his recovery was _nothing_ like that of the usual coma survivor. It must have been one hell of an interesting coma for him to wake up almost a year later with no visible setbacks.

His coma recovery wasn't the only facet that boggled me.

Something about his relationship with STAR Labs seemed off, as well. Caitlin and Cisco may be his best friends, but I still believed he was there a little too often for comfort. _I report to STAR Labs when we need tech to take down metahumans_ , he had told me on my first day in town, when I came in for my interview. I hadn't seen _any_ reporting, to be honest. Cisco had brought up Rajeet through news reports and with information from the police database.

Maybe he's just hanging out? For fun?

Behind closed doors with Dr. Wells and Caitlin?

Go screw yourself, Artemis. Caitlin was his doctor, and there was that whole aspect of patient confidentiality.

 _Yeah, sure_. Confidentiality from you, because Dr. Wells totally seemed in on everything that didn't involve you.

And I still knew nothing about why STAR Labs only had two employees before I came along. What happened to them?

In truth, I felt guilty for being so suspicious of my new surroundings, but Dr. Wells was definitely hiding something from me, and the Streak was involved. Also, Barry was weird, even though he was the most normal one around.

I set the Streak's roses in a vase on my dinner table, and spent the rest of the day trying not to mope, which didn't really work out.

Thanks to Dr. Wells, I was now shunned from the lab and probably seen as an inferior scientist, and Wells himself - one of my former heroes - most likely detested my nosiness, and would keep me farther away.

Later that day, Caitlin and Cisco both called to check in on me, and gave me the same old nonsense about Dr. Wells "not being used to me yet", "hasn't built trust between me", and how "he has your best intentions at heart."

I thanked them for their compassion, and hung up, after Caitlin insisted they would come in and visit me later during the week.

The next day, I decided to pig out and overloaded myself on junk food to eat away my worries, and spent all day watching television - something I had not allowed myself to do since before high school.

Right when I was totally engrossed in a scientific documentary, the doorbell rang. Being a little snob, I chose to ignore it but it sounded again. Several small voices could be heard outside.

I sighed and left my couch to look through the peephole. Outside, Detectives Joe and Eddie were waiting, along with Iris and Barry. Eddie was holding a small bouquet of flowers.

"Maybe we should stop by later, Dad," I heard Iris murmur quietly, "She might not be feeling well after yesterday."

"We won't stay long," Eddie assured her, "We'll just give her a quick thank-you and be on our way."

"Besides, she's young and lives all alone," Joe added, "Someone's gotta make sure she's alright. She seemed pretty roughed up yesterday."

Aww, they came to check up on me, I realized, and opened the door for them.

"Hi! How are all of you?" I asked, trying to hide the stress from yesterday's events from my voice.

"We're all well," Joe responded with a polite laugh, "But _we_ should really be the ones asking how _you_ are."

I couldn't help but smile at their surprise kindness.

"I'm doing great, actually. Just killing time at home, doing nothing," I answered, unsure of what else to say. We all stood there for an awkward moment of silence.

"Do you want to go to the movies with us?" Barry blurted out of the blue, surprising Joe, Eddie and Iris, "I mean - Eddie, Iris and I were planning on heading over to the theater later, but you should come with us. Might be fun."

The trio turned around and gave him looks of surprise, which quickly changed to agreement. Iris nodded her head at him before turning to face me with her signature sunny smile.

"That's actually a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of that," she added, knitting her eyebrows in self-disappointment before smiling again "Artemis, if you're feeling fine, come with us."

"I'm fine with it," Eddie added with half of a shrug, smiling casually at me, "What do you say?"

"Sure, why not?" I replied, seeing no harm in the offer, "When?"

"Like - half an hour," Eddie answered, "Sorry if it's a bit of a short notice."

I gave them a light laugh.

"Umm, could you wait just five or so minutes? I've got something in the oven," I asked, stepping aside so the group could enter, "Why don't you come on in? I promise it won't take too long."

Joe thanked me and entered first, followed by Iris, Barry, and finally Eddie, who handed me a small but tidy bouquet of flowers.

"These are on behalf of the police department. For what you did yesterday. Captain Singh insisted," Eddie admitted sheepishly.

I took them from him and smiled.

"I mean, I was hoping to get the key to the city, but flowers are fine too," I joked, grateful I was on good terms with the police. I thanked him and Joe again and asking them to give my regards to whoever Captain Singh was.

The group settled down in my living room, and I excused myself to finish up what I had waiting in the kitchen.

"Need any help?" Barry asked, putting his hands in his jacket pocket as he followed me.

"No," I answered, pulling a tray of freshly-baked cookies out of the oven with mitted hands.

"Now, you're not going to eat all of those by yourself, are you?" he asked with a casual grin, leaning in towards me.

"Absolutely not," I answered, turning away from him to grab a few plates from a cabinet, "I always make sure to keep a ready supply of junk food for surprise guests such as yourself. For some _strange_ reason though, it's all been disappearing slowly each day," I added, giving Barry a knowing smile.

"I'd call it theft, but you gave Cisco full permission to take whatever he wanted from your kitchen, so it's kind of your own fault," he said, giving me a lingering smile.

"The things I do for friendship," I muttered mockingly, handing him a plate and gesturing towards the tray.

Barry threw me one last smile before putting nearly half of the batch in his plate. He threw a whole cookie in his mouth and curled his mouth in an impressed grin as he chewed.

"These are great!" He exclaimed with a full mouth. He took more bites, and I couldn't help but laugh. I was about to scold him and tell him to leave some for Iris, Eddie and Joe, but then I noticed something was terribly off about him.

Just yesterday, Barry had been the most beat-up and injured person I had ever seen. Scars and cuts adorned his face as if they would stay there forever.

Now, he looked perfectly normal - back to his immaculate, handsome complexion, as if I had imagined him injured.

"Barry, I don't mean to be rude, but where are your scars?" I asked, slightly horrified, "And your bruises? From yesterday? How did you heal so quickly?"

"Hmm?"

I stepped forward, reaching my hand up to angle his jawline so I could see either side of his face. I ignored the bewildered look he was giving me, and studied each cheek. He was perfectly fine. Not so much as a scar or a nick to prove yesterday has happened.

Barry pulled my hand down from his chin and swallowed.

"So, umm, I've got a little secret that nobody but Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells know about," he began slowly, looking rather uncertain.

I studied him dubiously. _'Little secret'?_

"What do you mean?" I replied, taken aback, watching his green eyes flicker as he stood in silence, cookie in hand.

"Please don't tell anyone - especially Iris, especially Eddie. They'll never let this go. Joe already knows, though."

"What are you going on about?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him, "Wait, is this the big secret Dr. Wells doesn't want me to kno-"

"Concealer."

" _What?"_

"There's a little makeup boutique at Central Street Mall, and they sell this amazing concealer that hides every blemish and pimple, and it turns out - it works on bruises and scars too," Barry conceded, looking kind of ashamed, "Iris is never going to let me live it down if she finds out."

"You're keeping a secret about wearing makeup?" I gasped with a small laugh, pulling my hand away, "Well, do tell me what concealer you're using. I hate wearing jackets in the summer."

Phew. It was just makeup. I actually felt a little ridiculous, thinking those scars could've gone away so soon on their own. Barry Allen was perfectly normal.

"I actually can't do that," he replied, snatching a few more cookies off of the tray, "If I sell my beauty secrets to everyone, I won't stand out anymore."

"Are you serious?" I asked again, with a laugh. Nevermind - this kid was still just as weird as anyone else.

I brought the tray of cookies to my living room, where Eddie, Iris and Joe were seated, and passed out the plates.

"Cookies?! No wonder it smells like heaven in here," Eddie retorted, helping himself to a few. Iris and Joe followed in his example.

"Sorry there aren't that many left. Barry practically inhaled like half of the batch the second they left the oven," I joked, raising an eyebrow at Barry. He gave me a sad smile and shrugged.

"I don't blame him. These taste amazing," Joe conceded, munching on one, "Artemis, you didn't need to do this for us."

"Joe, you know I don't mind," I answered. The detective smiled at me.

"So, any word on the metahuman from yesterday morning?" I asked.

I realized I shouldn't have, because everyone in the room, save for Iris, became discomforted.

"No. _You_ were the last person who saw him, actually," Joe answered with a sigh.

"Really?"

"Joe's right. Each eye witness said they saw you beat him with that crowbar before the Flash disappeared with him," Eddie added.

"The _what_ disappeared with him?"

"The Flash," Iris responded, giving a small smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "It's what I'm calling the Streak now. Thought it sounded better."

"Huh... The Flash. Yeah, it does sound better, actually," I wondered out loud. The Flash seemed more accurate - the being was more of a flash of light than he was a streak of lightning. To be honest, though, it kind of reminded me of someone jumping out and flashing at bypassers, but I dismissed my immaturity with an appreciative smile at Iris.

"Not bad, West."

Iris beamed at me.

"Not bad?" Barry asked, obviously offended by my casualness, "I think it sounds _great._ "

"Well, why are you taking it so personally?" I joked. He had reacted a little too fast for comfort. Maybe it's just because I had undermined his crush.

My smile melted as I remembered something else, and I interrupted Barry.

"What about Smoke Ghost - sorry, Andrew Thompson? Have we found him yet?"

"No, we haven't seen him in a while either." Joe said with a sigh, "That's two missing metahumans."

"Three, if you count the speedster," Eddie added.

Three undocumented metahumans on the loose. I couldn't help but wonder if there were others as well.

What if the yellow speedster who killed my mother was here too? What if he was in hiding, and nobody knew about him?

I shuddered at the thought of it. I prayed it wasn't true.

"Going back to the subject of Artemis and people doing nice things," Iris began, changing the topic - something I'm almost grateful for, "Why don't you tell who got you those flowers?" Iris questioned with a dramatic tease to her voice, pointing to the flowers on my dinner table.

"Oh, Eddie delivered those to me. They're from the police department," I said with disregard, my voice trailing off. I had given the wrong answer, and Iris is unsatisfied by my answer.

"Really? Because I was talking about the big red roses in the vase, and I'd be a bit worried if _those_ were from Eddie," she retorted, winking at her boyfriend, "So fess up. Who is he?"

"He... isn't real," I said, though I could feel my cheeks blushing like mad. Iris and Eddie raised eyebrows at me.

"I got them for myself," I justified, giving the group a fake smile.

Joe made a sound that was between a snort and a laugh.

"Don't need to be a licensed detective to know _that's_ a lie," remarked, before finishing off his cookies.

"Come on, you don't need to hide anything from us," Eddie added, giving me an easy, assuring smile, "Are you seeing someone?"

"No!" I assured, though I wasn't sure why I felt so vulnerable. I had never been a good liar, and Barry, who knew who they were really from, gave me a small smile.

Eddie's eyes darted between me and Barry, and recognition lit in his eyes.

"Well, now I can't help but notice that you and Barry ar-"

"Look, why don't you guys wait here for me?" I interjected, giving Eddie a sly smile, "Unless you want me to go to the movies with you in my nerd pajamas?"

Eddie fell silent and waved me off, rolling his eyes at me, and Barry raised an eyebrow as he stole Iris' last cookie.

I closed the door to my room and changed into a knee length dress, then grimaced as I saw myself in that mirror. The huge red scars across my arms mimicked the bloody gashes they had been yesterday morning, and my knees don't fare any better. Despite the summer heat, I slipped on a jacket over my scarred arms and leggings over my scratched legs, shoved my feet into old sneakers, and left my room.

Iris and Eddie had picked up the plates from my living room, and were smiling as they talked quietly with each other, lost in their conversation.

I found the scene absolutely adorable, except for the fact that they were at my kitchen sink, rinsing the plates of crumbs.

"Woah, woah woah!" I called out, forcing them to turn their attention to me, "What do you think you're doing? You can't be doing my chores. Out of my kitchen - now!"

"Artemis, it's not a big deal," Iris giggled, as I grabbed her and Eddie by their rolled up sleeves, and pulled them into my living room.

"How come you let Barry help but not us?" Eddie objected, with a light scolding tone to his voice, though he was smiling at my gesture.

"You thought I was helping?" Barry asked incredulously, "I had cookies to devour."

"And a lack of manners, apparently," Joe brought up, "We came here to check up on her and instead she ended up treating us."

"Oh, don't worry, Dad," Iris assured, putting her hand on my shoulder, "That's why we're bringing her with us to the movies? Now, are we actually going to go, or are we just going to kill time here?"

Barry grabbed one last cookie, and Eddie mumbled an apology, and soon, we had left my apartment and were all piled up in Eddie's car. We dropped Joe off at his home, and Eddie drove us over to a movie complex crowded with teens and couples.

"So, what are we watching?" I asked, as we got in line for tickets. A bright poster for Space Destroyers III was posted above the queue, and I felt my stomach fill with excited nervousness. I was actually a huge fan of the series, and had been anticipating the third installment for months now.

"We're watching _With Love, from Venice_ ," Iris answered, turning to smile at me. I slowly tore my gaze from the poster to her face.

"You're kidding, right?" I retorted.

"No?" She responded, her smile slowly melting as she shook her head, confused.

I could feel the color drain from my face. There was no way in hell I would sit through a R-rated flimsy, airheaded romance and sacrifice _Space Destroyers_ for this.

Okay - the R-rated flimsy romance movie I could handle - maybe - but definitely not with two men watching with us.

Iris, for such a sharp-minded young woman, how on _Earth_ did you manage to overlook how awkward this would be?

"Well, that's fine," I lied, shrugging and smiling at Iris and Eddie, both of whom are looking at me with worried faces. Eddie's look lingered for a few seconds after Iris looked away, and his eyes are tinged with panic - it's a silent cry for help, I realized with an amused smile. He doesn't want to watch a stupid love story any more than I do.

I gave the poster over our heads one last, sad look.

"I'll come back for you, Alir," I murmured, recalling the last line of the previous movie - a promise the protagonist had made to rescue his best friend who sacrificed himself.

"You're a _Space Destroyers_ fan too?!" Barry exclaimed beside me, his eyes lighting with a comforting joy.

"Like you would not believe, dude," I said with an easy laugh, "I have both of the previous movies memorized by heart."

"Same. I've been trying to get Iris into it too, but she just _can't_ get the storyline," Barry replied, rolling his eyes with a reluctant smile towards Iris and Eddie.

"Well, it's not for everyone," I agreed. The line slowly inched forward, and I can't help but feel awkward for my situation.

"If you're a true Space Destroyers fan, then why the hell are we in line for a stupid chick flick?" I taunted Barry.

"Because," Barry answered, "Joe asked me to make sure they actually go to the movies this time instead of running off to god knows where."

"Your stepdad forced you to go thirdwheeling?"

"Yeah."

"And you invited me because...?"

Barry tilted his head towards me and smiled politely.

"Becaaauuuseee you told me I could bring you along for when I'm forced to tag along with those two. Remember Operation Fourth Wheel?" Barry reminded me, hanging his elbow off of my shoulder, "And I am going to _use_ you to get out of that theater."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"See, you only get to 'use' me like that if _I_ get something out of it," I quipped, though I liked his idea.

"Got anything that could pass as an escape plan?" he asked.

"I don't know - I've been told I can fake seizures really well?"

"What?!" Barry asked in an amused gasp, before continuing mockingly, "No, no - save that for later. I feel like that'll come in handy in more dire situations."

I laughed at his words.

"What kind of situation would require me to fake a seizure?"

"Why would you fake a seizure?" Iris asked, turning around to give us an alarmed look.

"I - I, umm, in case I can't have a real one?" I attempted, cringing at my ridiculous excuse.

Iris gave me a cross, confused look, and Eddie nodded his head with a small smile, seemingly impressed.

"Nice work, Van Kleiss," Barry whispered.

I gently punched him in the arm and we paid for our tickets to _With Love, From Venice_ , and after buying overpriced snacks, we waited in yet another line for the usher to take our tickets. I sighed and tried to push down any envy I felt for the hoards of nerds geeking out about potential endings for the new Destroyers movie.

"It's okay - I'm a huge fan too," Eddie murmured beside me.

"Really now?" I asked.

"You kidding? That cliffhanger in the last movie can't keep anyone away," he whispered with a wistful smile.

"So, that makes three of us who are about to watch the wrong movie," I teased, "How on _Earth_ did Iris manage to trap us all like this?"

Iris and Barry were having their own conversation a few feet in front of us, but she turned and smiled when she heard her name.

"Magic," she responded, turning to face Barry, "This was supposed to be a date night, but somehow _this one_ decided to come too, and now we've ensnared you with us."

"And now we're doomed to sit through two hours of Chad Pitt faking an Italian accent," Barry complained.

"Barry, quit whining. You're the one who asked to come," Iris scolded, as we found our seats in the theater.

The trio easily settled in, and I found myself seated between Barry and Eddie. I suddenly recalled how quickly a scene as peaceful as this could turn into an episode of panic if a metahuman decided to drop by.

"So, forgive my naivety, but what happens if a metahuman decides to pop in while we're watching the movie?" I implored, "I mean, I want us to have a good time, but metahumans have attacked like three times since I moved in, and it's literally been, like, only six days."

"God pray that the Flash takes him down," Iris contended, munching on her popcorn, "I've been waiting for this movie for weeks."

"Guys - I'm serious." I pushed, "A small, cramped theater is _not_ the most escapable place if something happens. We're a room full of victims."

"So long as _you're_ here to beat them up again for us, we'll be fine," Eddie joked, "Just relax. It won't happen."

I gruffed, but obeyed Eddie. Didn't they get how much potential danger we were in? How could they be so sure we were safe?

What if - what if the yellow speedster showed up?

Barry sat down beside me, and leaned in towards me.

"Hey," he whispered, "It hasn't been the easiest week in the world for you, I'll admit that. But don't worry. We're safe."

"What - does the theater have a special metahuman security force on standby in case Andrew Thompson - or someone worse - decides to barge in?" I mocked, "We're sitting ducks, Barry."

He shook his head and put a hand gently on my wrist, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Just have a little faith in the Flash, alright?" he asked, with a small, reassuring smile. My fear quelled a little, but of course, it's too strong for its own good.

"What if he's not there? What if we just got lucky those other times when he _did_ show up?"

"Then - then just have a little faith in me, instead?"

"Why? Are you going to, like, protect me, or something?" I asked, trying to hide a disbelieving laugh.

"If the situation came up, yes. Yes, I would."

I tried to imagine one of the side doors exploding, and some scary metahuman monster prancing in, people panicking around us with the movie playing in the background. Tall, skinny Barry would play hero, and try to fight the metahuman, with me cowering behind him.

My mind couldn't wrap around the image.

Truth be told - I could imagine it with a lot more ease if Barry and I had switched roles, and if I was his protector.

"Barry?"

"Mmm?"

"You're a dork."

I saw a smile appear on his face in the light of the theater screen.

"Thanks."

Someone shushed us, and I sighed. Previews rolled for other cheesy romance flicks, and the feature finally came on - depicting a geeky, but pretty, blonde woman, played by Olivia Childe, discussing a move to Venice on the phone. I rolled my eyes and accepted my fate watching this latest installment of Typical Romance Movie, until about fifteen minutes in, I realized I had eaten all of my popcorn and finished my drink. To my right, Eddie was looking bored and unamused.

"Hey Eddie?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Can I have your drink? If you don't want to finish it?"

Eddie gave a half shrug and handed me his container, the contents completely untouched. The movie on the screen passed, and the young woman finally moved to Venice, and was struggling in adjusting to life there, until Chad Pitt - sorry, Romeo - arrived, and offered to help.

I sighed once more, and sank in my seat as the plot continued. This movie had no allure to me, and was completely corny. I continued sipping Eddie's drink to distract myself. Barry looked as if he could fall asleep at any moment, and Eddie seemed just as disinterested as I was. Out of the four of us, only Iris appeared to be invested in the movie. Onscreen, Romeo has finally managed to woo the American immigrant, and has whisked her off to what is probably his bedroom. That soon already?

This isn't something I want to watch with two men seated on either side of me.

Actually, this isn't something I want to watch _period._

I tapped Barry's arm, startling him of any drowsiness.

"Can I fake my seizure now?" I hissed.

"What?"

"We should leave. _Now_ ," I whispered sternly. On the movie screen, the camera zoomed in as Chad Pitt peeled off his shirt, focusing on his perfect abs. Barry cringed.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed, leaning across from me to get Eddie's attention, "Hey - we're getting more snacks. We'll be right back."

Eddie nodded at us pitifully, and we took it as our cue to exit the theater, just as the nude, smoochy, awkward stuff ensued on screen.

"We're not actually going back, right?" I asked with a nervous laugh, once we had left the theater behind us and found ourselves in the lobby.

"No. No we aren't," Barry answered with a dutiful nod.

"Yeah, well, I honestly wouldn't have minded a metahuman attack back in there."

"Hey," he called, giving me his cool grin, "Who said Iris gets to have all the fun tonight? You get us some more popcorn - I've got something to do."

And with that, Barry turned and left me in the lobby with a request for more popcorn. I rolled my eyes in exasperation for how anticlimatic tonight was playing out, and sat down at a table with my refilled large bucket of popcorn, when Barry returned a few minutes later.

"Awesome. Ready to go back?" He asked, gesturing with a thumb towards the theater we just left.

"Not really," I said, slumping down onto the table, "I'd rather just sit here than let my brain rot with that garbage."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Barry said, smiling brighter at me. He pulled me up by the arm, "Come on."

"Barry - what?"

Barry took me to a different wing of the theater, swarmed with another crowd of moviegoers, and handed the usher two tickets.

"You two enjoy your date," the usher stated, ripping the tickets in half and handing the stubs back to us.

"Oh - we're not dating," Barry responded quickly.

"Yeah - this is just a friendly get-together," I added with a nervous laugh. Barry and I looked at each other, and gulped unanimously. Awkward.

The usher raised an eyebrow at us questioningly, not buying it, and Barry took the stubs from him, and led me to down the hall.

"Please tell me we're not -"

"We are." Barry interrupted in seriousness, before breaking into a huge smile and holding up the ticket stubs. _Space Destroyers III - 9:30 pm_ was printed across the top. I widened my eyes and grabbed Barry's wrists and squealed, and Barry chuckled like a small excited child.

"Thank me later - we need to see if Alir lives or not," Barry cajoled, tenderly putting his arm around my back onto my other arm as we walked into the theater. I was all too aware of the gesture, and I guess he was too, because neither of us spoke, and he dropped his arm a minute or so later when we found seats.

"Do you think Mica's going to die?" I asked enthusiastically, as we shared the giant bucket of popcorn between us.

"Nah. I'd say it's Roe we gotta worry about here," he said with a snicker. I rubbed my hands together excitedly as the movie began, and the night completely turned around from there. Barry and I were both transfixed onto the screen, cheering quietly as our heroes won their battles, not blinking during the suspenseful scenes where they found there was a spy in their midst, unable to pull away as the main characters found themselves on a destroyed planet inhabited by robots. A sneak attack by enemy bounty hunters lands one of the protagonists a crucial injury, and everyone watches in horror as his brother found his mangled body amid burning ruins.

_"Roe..."_

_"Alir - I have to tell you something,"_

_"Say nothing, brother."_

_"Roe - you don't understand,"_ Alir pleaded tragically as he gasped for breath. He held up his forearm and pulled down his sleeve - revealing an intricate black tattoo that signifies his alliance with the enemy Destroyers.

" _ **I** was the spy_ ," Alir declared, breaking into a pained sob.

The entire theater gasped with shock at the heartbreaking revelation, and beside me, Barry's shoulders slump down dramatically. Astonishment is printed all over his face, and it appeared as if his eyes were about to water.

"Awww - are you going to cry?" I taunted in a playful whisper. Barry turned to me and wiped at his eyes quickly.

"No. No, I'm not crying," he whispered, his voice slightly breaking.

I smiled and rubbed his shoulder supportively.

"It's alright," I murmured sarcastically, "All Space Destroyers have to die, anyway."

My words have their intended effect on Barry. He turned to me, the white of his eyes tinged with red, and worry on his face.

"Artemis - are you serious?" He hissed, clearly aggravated, "Alir is the most innocent one of them all, and now he's dying _and_ working with the Destroyers?!"

I chuckled and squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm kidding - you're just easy to mess with," I consented, and truth be told - my heart was broken with Alir's confession too. We all watched as Roe swore revenge on the Destroyers, and he and his friends left on a quest to recover some lost artifact, and the movie concluded with a great battle, in which the main characters barely managed to win, and the movie ended again with yet another thrilling cliffhanger - the Space Destroyers promising to destroy Quadrant 247, where Earth was located.

The movie did a good job of making me feel better about my falling out with Dr. Wells, and Barry was all smiles as we got up to leave.

"Oh, man. Did you see how they found that FireStriker back there?" He asked excitedly.

"Okay - the FireStriker was nothing. When the Destroyers brought in those airborne attacks - that was the real deal!"

Barry and I continued to geek out over the film, discussing/debating the best and worst parts like middle schoolers, when we saw Iris and Eddie seated at one of the tables in the lobby, looking impatient and annoyed.

"Uh oh," I murmured with a wince, "They...don't look happy."

In our excitement for Space Destroyers, we had completely forgotten we had arrived with our friends, and had been expected to be with them. Their movie must've ended long ago. God knows how long they must have had to wait.

Barry's smile melted, but was slowly replaced with yet another as we approached our companions.

"Hey guys!" He ventured cautiously, "So, uhh, how was your movie?"

"I can't believe you guys left to go watch Space Destroyers," Iris scolded.

"Without me!" Eddie added in desperation.

Iris turned and gave him an angry look of disbelief.

"What?" He protested, "No offense, but the movie sucked. I only watched it because you asked me too."

"Oh, Eddie! Not you too!" Iris moaned, broken-hearted, "This was supposed to be a fun night, and instead, you both left without telling us and were gone for about two hours, and now, Eddie, you're telling me you didn't even have any fun."

"I - sorry, Iris. This is all on me," I stated weakly, willing to take the blame if it meant she'd feel better, "I just really couldn't stand that movie."

"Did Roe die?" Eddie asked.

Iris faced him once more, clearly upset, and stood up to walk away.

"Hey! -" Barry dissented, catching her by the arm to stop her, and stepping right in front of her to force her to look at him. She turned her face away, still upset, and Barry tilted her chin up with his forefinger, giving her a warm, loving smile.

The action both melted my heart from how kind and heartfelt it was, but also crushed me, reminding me of how Barry had always been playful or easy around me - never this emotional or particularly caring.

"I'm sorry," he murmured apologetically. Iris still looked upset.

"Would ice cream make up for it?" He asked, bowing his head to make eye contact, giving her a perky, almost sexy, smile. Iris grinned in spite of herself, and put her hand to his wrist, which was still cupping her chin.

"I don't know, but it wouldn't hurt to try," and with that, she slinked her arm around Barry's waist, and he put his over her shoulders, and the two of them walked towards the ice cream bar in the snack area.

I turned and looked to Eddie. He seemed wounded - insulted almost - but he didn't say anything.

"So, um," I began, "Are we just going to let him walk away with her, or -"

"No. Let's go," Eddie asserted, and we followed a few feet behind Iris and Barry, in awkward silence, watching as the two joked around with each other, clearly at ease.

Barry loved Iris - that much I could tell, seeing how his eyes lit up differently when he was around her, when he fell a little bit quieter as he listened to her speak, admiring her.

Iris, in turn, was just as helpless around him - the way she protested when he teased her, how their small touches suddenly seemed intimate and delicate. There was definitely a spark between these two - one that Iris was miraculously too blind to see.

I honestly couldn't tell if Barry was the unwanted third wheel in the trio, or if it was Eddie.

Beside me, Eddie cleared his throat a little too loudly. Iris and Barry turned to face him, and Iris smiled gorgeously as she stepped away from Barry with her ice cream, and held a spoon up to Eddie's mouth. Eddie smiled at her, and relented, accepting the bite. I watched as he pulled her into a hug, and how she laughed in his arms as he tried apologizing to her once more.

Barry finally acknowledged me, and walked over to me.

"Artemis, would you like some ice cream too?" He asked gently, giving me a smaller and less bright version of the smile he had given Iris.

"No thanks," I replied, my morale nosediving, "I've had a lot of junk food tonight."

Barry had brought me along only so he wouldn't be third-wheeling by himself.

That was the deal we had made.

I came and helped with that - I had _given_ him permission to use me like that, nonetheless - in the hopes that we could spend some time together. We had indeed, but in the end, he'd always love Iris.

I was just a pawn, used to make things less awkward around her.

"Are you sure?" Barry asked again, "I mean, I definitely owe you for saving my butt back there."

Then again, I remembered I did tell him _I_ didn't want to start anything with him, yesterday at STAR Labs. Part of this was my own fault.

"I didn't do it for you," I lied, giving him a dry smile, "I did it to see _Space Destroyers._ "

"Of course," Barry replied with a smile, scratching the back of his head. The situation suddenly intensified with discomfort, as Iris and Eddie had a moment with each other, whispering things to each other, nose to nose. Iris planted a deep kiss on his cheek, and after what seemed like forever, she finally pulled away, leaving Eddie with the kiss printed onto his cheek.

I resisted the urge to cringe at the sight.

Barry, on the other hand, seemed more disappointed than disgusted.

"You guys wanna go home?" Eddie asked, still holding Iris in his arms.

"Absolutely!" Barry exclaimed, and he walked away with Eddie, leaving me with Iris and her cup of ice cream.

I smiled at her, and we followed Eddie and Barry out of the building.

"So, how was Space Destroyers?" She chirped happily.

"It was fine," I said with a plain nod.

"Did you enjoy your time with Barry?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow, clearly hinting at something that wasn't there.

"Huh? Oh yeah - we had fun," I stated, "He started crying when a character died."

"I did not!" He protested, turning to give me a panicked look, blush rising in his cheeks. Iris laughed.

"Artemis - he is just so sensitive. Watch this -" she whispered to me before facing Barry and Eddie.

"Oh, then maybe it's for the best that you left _With Love, From Venice_ , Barry," She snickered confidently, enjoying the ability to humiliate him, "The ending would have had you crying for _days_."

"It wouldn't have," Barry replied assuredly, turning away to walk with Eddie, who was watching their interaction just as wistfully as I was. Iris had a different sense of comfort and ease around him than she did with Eddie.

"Oh, _yes_ , it would have!" Iris jabbed again.

"No, see, Iris," Barry explained, facing her once again, this time looking directly down at her with a smoldering smile, "I prefer movies with mentally stimulating plotlines. That's why nobody enjoys watching dumb romantic comedies with you."

Eddie actually laughed as Barry turned on his heels to face away from her, and Iris was infuriated.

"Artemis, can you _believe_ him?" She asked in disbelief, wounded by his playful jest, "The _nerve_ he has."

"Sorry, Iris, but I agree with him," I answered with a reluctant smile, "He's got some nerve, but he's putting it to good use."

Around you. To woo you. Without you even knowing.

Someone kill me.

"Are you serious?" She questioned, turning to me in irritation, "You _can't_ say that."

"I definitely can," I answered easily, smiling at her as I walked, "The only reason why _anyone_ would cry during a romance movie is if they were _forced_ to watch one."

"Oh yeah?" Iris asked, though she's shooting glances between me and Barry, "So you and Barry have similar opinions on romance, now, is it?"

Oh god, I whimpered silently. Iris West, don't you _dare_ go there, I thought. Don't you dare say it out loud...

"Hey, Eddie!" She called out, completely blowing me off, "Don't you think a certain _forensic scientist_ and a certain _physicist_ would look rather cute together?"

Too late. She said it out loud. Don't die, Artemis.

Eddie turned around and laughed in agreement, holding up two thumbs up.

"I've been waiting for someone to say that out loud for days now," he called back. Barry stopped walking and turned around, making unexpected eye contact with me.

I crossed my arms and looked away to Iris, instead, not hiding my feelings.

"Iris, that wasn't really funny..."

"Nonsense," She said, walking around a frozen Barry to hold hands with Eddie, "Fifty bucks says they'll be dating within two weeks."

"Make it a hundred, then we're talking," Eddie prompted.

"Someone has high hopes on a relationship for these two to be together, then," Iris concluded, smiling at Eddie.

"Yeah," He proceeded, smiling back at us with an unnatural light shining through his eyes as he observed us.

"Yeah, I do, actually," he answered ominously, before high-fiving Iris and leading her to his car. Eddie looked over his shoulder at us one last time before turning away.

What was that all about?

Barry and I gave each other one last look, and I shoved my hands in my jacket, turning away. We walked the rest of the way in silence, until Barry spoke up.

"Sorry about that."

"Iris is the one who should be sorry."

"What for?"

"What do you mean 'what for'?" I answered harshly, "She'll owe Eddie a hundred bucks in a matter of two weeks."

To be honest, I felt insulted that Iris had made jab about me being in a relationship with someone who didn't even like me, but I acquiesced. Iris didn't know Barry liked her, and neither did Eddie. Only I did.

Barry let my words sink in, and I knew I've struck a chord that I probably shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to say that," I said, turning to face him again.

"Don't worry about it," he assured flatly.

"You really do like her, don't you?" I asked in a small voice, trying to hide how broken-hearted I felt.

 _Snap out of it, Van Kleiss_ , my conscience scolded. _You've got no business liking him. You - you don't really like him, anyway. You just had a little fun with him at the movies, that's all. You're overreacting - big time - and it'll hurt your friendship with Barry if you don't knock it off._

Barry sighed.

"Yeah," he said with a quiet laugh, "The one person in the world I love, and she _had_ to start dating someone when I'm stuck in a coma."

I gave a small laugh at his predicament.

"Should've been a little quicker, then."

"What?"

"To make your move on her. I said you should've been quicker."

Barry sighed again.

"No kidding."

Iris and Eddie have reached the car, and were inside, waiting for us. I stopped in my tracks and faced Barry.

"Or - to be honest, I'm no expert on relationships or anything," I started, looking right at him, "But, I mean, truthfulness is key, right? You don't really have anything to lose by telling her how you feel?"

Barry paused and looked at me, giving me his full attention.

"I'm just saying it'd take a lot of weight off of your shoulders if you were clear with her. And it'd make things easier for her, too. And Eddie. For everyone, really."

Barry looked away, and slowly nodded.

"Thanks for the tip, Artemis," he said, giving me a small smile.

"No problem, Jerry," I replied, tossing him a smirk as I walked past him and entered the backseat of the car.

"So, what were you two discussing, hmm?" Iris quipped flirtatiously as she fixed her lipstick in the mirror.

"Oh - we were making a bet of our own," I answered.

"We were?" Barry asked as he got into the car as well.

"Yes. Barry and I have agreed that if we _do_ indeed decide to become a couple in two weeks time - which totally _isn't_ going to happen, by the way -" Barry rolled his eyes at me as I continued talking, "then we'll treat you both out to dinner. If not, it's on you. Winners decide where to go, losers pay. Deal?"

"Where did you come up with that kind of absurd-" Barry muttered.

"Deal," Eddie announced. Iris followed up, and turned in her seat to shake my hand on it.

"You're both making a mistake here," Barry protested, shocked.

"No, we're not. I just scored myself a nice dinner in two weeks," I said with a smile.

"So now the stakes are totally up," Eddie deduced, "If you two _don't_ go out, Iris owes me a hundred dollars _and_ we take you out to dinner. If not, _I_ owe Iris a hundred bucks, but you pay for dinner."

"That's correct, Detective," I answered coolly, "Although you might as well take a monetary portion out of the bet. I have high tastes when it comes to luxury dinners. You might want to save some bank."

"Oh, like we have cheap taste?" Eddie continued, "If you lose, you're taking us to DiMaso's."

"DiMaso's?" I inquired.

"The best restaurant in town. Average price for a single dish approximates to roughly $150. Better save up, Van Kleiss."

I consented.

"You've lost your mind," Barry asserted in an amazed whisper, out of earshot of Iris and Eddie.

"What?" I hissed back at him, "All we have to do is not like each other. It's easy."

"Uh-huh. Totally." Barry jeered back quietly, raising an eyebrow at me.

In the darkness of the night, with the only light coming from the headlights of cars passing by, and the silver glow of the streetlamps, I was unnerved by how collected he looked - reddish brown hair neatly combed back, easy smile on his face, his posture relaxed, but still strong.

I gulped involuntarily.

"Shouldn't be too hard. I'm in the friendzone regardless."

"What - are you complaining?" Barry teased back, leaning in towards me a little for an added effect.

"Look, Allen - you clearly have feelings for someone else," I hissed, leaning away, "Don't force yourself into something you'll regret, solely because of a challenge. I'm just doing this to show Iris there's nothing between us - I'm on _your_ side. "

Barry fell silent, and nobody said a word until Eddie arrived at Cloverleaf.

"Thanks for dropping me off," I muttered, getting out of the car.

"Aww, Barry, aren't you going to walk her to the door?" Iris pressed.

"You might as well do it - you ate all of her cookies in one sitting," Eddie reminded with a tease, "Kiss her goodnight."

I heard the car door open and tried not to seethe as Barry's tall, lean figure caught up with mine.

"Allen," I muttered.

"Van Kleiss," he replied, though he said it in a much friendlier tone than I had.

"You know you can go back - I can walk on my own."

"Doesn't quite work that way," he said, smiling at me as we walked up the stairs, "I'm not doing this for Iris, or Eddie, or for the idiotic bet you made. I'm just doing this because, you know, you're still my friend."

"And that's all I'll ever be," I retorted with a tiny snort, as we arrived at my door.

"Is there a reason you're being so defensive of that?" Barry joked with a sly smile, catching my bluff.

"No. I'm just reminding you of the obvious," I answered, thankful for the darkness that hid my otherwise bright blushing. I couldn't like him already - No, I didn't like him. I just got a bit riled up because of my night out, because we saw Space Destroyers and I got a little jealous for him showing Iris affection. A good night's sleep, and everything would be back to normal the next day.

He was just a friend.

"Of course."

I opened the door, and turned around to face him one last time, and offered him a fist bump.

"You gotta admit, though, tonight was pretty epic."

Barry flashed a smile in accord, and hit my fist gently with his own.

"Agreed. Nobody saw that plot twist - in the movie, I meant."

"That plot twist indeed," I concurred, with a smile, "See you around, dork."

"Likewise."

I closed the door behind me and smiled as I entered the house, and changed to go to bed.

Something fluttered onto the floor as I hung my jacket in my closet.

I tried not to wince as I leaned down - my knees were still sore from the attack - and retrieved the ticket stub to Space Destroyers.

I chuckled, remembering how Barry had surprised me with the ticket, and placed it in my desk drawer, right beside the handwritten note the Flash had given me.

###

My alarm woke me up at my regular time for work, but of course, Dr. Wells has strictly forbidden me from showing my face at STAR Labs for the next five days. Seeing how I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep, I decided to make good use of my time and headed over to the gym.

"Hey!" Cisco greeted, meeting up with me at the sidewalk leading to the entrance, his hair still back in a foolish headband.

"Hi! What's up?" I asked, happy to see my friend.

"Not much, just getting a bit of exercise in before going back to work," he replied, placing his gym bag inside. I did the same and followed him upstairs, "You?"

"Meh. I ate an insane amount of junk food yesterday. Probably need to get rid of it," I joked.

"Yeah... Your kitchen is not the healthiest place in the world," Cisco replied, with a warm, guilty smile.

"Don't be ridiculous. I cook _plenty_ of healthy food. You just go straight for my junk food shelf, so you wouldn't know," I said, diving my hand towards Cisco's hair.

"Enough of this," Cisco protested with a laugh, shooting my hand away, "Barry told me you watched Space Destroyers with him last night. How was it?"

"Oh, Alir admitted he's the traito -"

"No! No! No no no no no!" Cisco shouted, holding a hand up to silence me as I laughed at his reaction, "No spoilers! I meant how your night was. With _Barry_."

_With Barry._

"Now, isn't that the million dollar question?" I replied dryly.

Cisco sat down beside me with his chin resting on his fists, a small smile playing on his lips, clearly asking for an answer.

"Well, it was okay. Iris wanted us to watch some stupid love story, but it got awkward so I forced Barry to get me out of there."

"Go on."

"Why? What did Barry tell you?"

"He told me you made a bet with Eddie and Iris."

"Did he tell you what it was about?"

"No. But it sounded rather interesting."

"Clever of him."

"Should I be concerned about what it's about?" Cisco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go lift your dumbbells, Ramon." I said, pushing him away. He chuckled and got up, following me to the indoor track.

"No, I'm going to run today. Wait up!"

We started off with a jog, and I decided to ask how things were with him.

"So, what have you been doing at the Lab without me?"

"Um, I'd lie to you, but you actually mean well, so I'd feel bad about it," Cisco explained, huffing as he spoke, "We've been doing the stuff we usually do when you're not here."

"Work with the Streak, you mean?"

"He's not the Streak anymore - he's the Flash now, and that information is _not_ for me to give away."

"So it's true, then. You _are_ working with the Streak - sorry, the _Flash._ " I said easily, speeding up to pass him.

Cisco chased after me.

"I can neither affirm nor deny that," he huffed.

"What's he like?"

"For starters, he's really fast..."

I rolled my eyes, and my brain automatically decides to go into daydream mode to zone Cisco out.

Unfortunately, I'm thinking of Barry.

_Barry Allen, who has the most adorable smile and is the cutest geek I've ever seen._

_Barry Allen, who ate almost all of my cookies and told me they were great._

_Barry Allen, who ran off foolishly when the earthquaking metahuman showed up the other day, and returned injured._

"Do you know the Flash's secret identity?" I asked Cisco, who had caught up with me.

_Barry Allen, who I fucking cannot be in a relationship with._

_Barry Allen, who always visits STAR Labs, but forgets his keys - supposedly so I can return them to him, though I doubt that he does it on purpose._

"Do you?" Cisco retorted.

"That's what I asked you." I answered back, tuning him out as we ran.

_Barry Allen, who had a magical little coma and woke up without any side effects._

_Barry Allen, who asked Dr. Wells to let me stay when I showed up at STAR Labs in the middle of the night._

_Barry Allen, who thought the Flash was a good superhero name._

_Barry Allen._

"Well, we -"

"Oh my fucking god!" I exclaimed with astonishment, slapping my palm against my forehead, as the gears in my brain finally clicked.

"Language!" Cisco scolded, running to catch up to me.

I turned in my tracks and looked to Cisco in disbelief. Why hadn't I realized this earlier? How could I have been so ignorant?

"Is it _actually_ Barry?" I exclaimed, "It's Barry, isn't it? How did I not see this?!"

"Whaaaat?" Cisco responded shakily, "Girl, don't be ridiculous."

"Face it, Cisco. He woke up from his coma around the same time the Flash showed up, he's at STAR Labs 24/7, he was there the night Rajeet showed up, _and_ he disappeared around the same time that earthquaking metahuman showed up. It _has_ to be Barry."

"Artemis, that's ludicrous!" Cisco said with a laugh, "Barry is _not_ the Flash! You've seen Barry run, for Pete's sake!"

"Then who is it, huh?" I asked, walking right up to him, jabbing a finger in his chest - forcing him to back away from me awkwardly, "Tell me."

"No!"

"Tell me!"

"NO!"

Cisco stumbled backwards, but I caught him by the neck of his shirt. He yelped as I pulled him closer to my own face.

"Then look me in the eyes and _swear_ it's not Barry Allen," I demanded sternly.

"It's not Barry Allen what?" a voice asked behind us.

I turned around, Cisco still at my mercy, and watched as Barry appeared up the staircase, smiling in a tank top and basketball shorts.

"You had to show up _now_ , didn't you?" Cisco scoffed.

I released him and approached Barry, trying to ignore how nice his arms look in that tank. I smiled falsely as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Hi, sorry I wasn't here earlier. I was -"

"Running late?" I interjected. Barry seemed surprised by words.

"Yeah, I slept in a bit," Barry explained easily, knitting his eyebrows.

"Ahh... Shame you didn't use your super speed to get here, then," I raved, turning around. I smiled - I had figured out who the Scarlet Speedster was. He was standing right behind me.

"Super speed?" Barry asked, confused.

"Super. _Speed,_ " I replied slowly, "So, Flash, how was your morning?"

Barry seemed puzzled, and threw Cisco a perplexed glance.

"Why did you call me that?" He asked me dumbly.

"Because it's you, isn't it?" I asked, turning back towards the track, "You're the Flash. Wow, what was it you said to me last night when I was afraid of a metahuman attacking the theaters? 'Have a little faith in the Flash'? Then when I asked what if the Flash wasn't there, you said 'Have a little faith in me'? Wow. Just wow. Couldn't have made it any more obvious, could you?"

Barry gave me a blank look, then burst into loud laughter.

"She's - she's not serious, is she?" he asked, smiling at Cisco before facing me again, "Artemis, you merely took my words out of context. There is _no_ way I'm the Flash."

"I don't believe you," I asserted, shaking my head stubbornly at him.

"No?"

"Nope."

"I'm not the Flash."

" _Yes_ , you are. Don't lie."

"Well, if I _am_ the Flash, then that means I'm  also the one who got you those pretty roses," he said, raising an eyebrow at me, "And I'm _more_ than certain we've established what my feelings for you are."

"Oooooooooooh," Cisco crooned, watching both of us excitedly, "Shots have been fired."

I fought away any sign of blushing. The Flash had given me a huge bouquet of roses - not something you could easily forget. And Barry was the Flash.

As much as I would not have wanted it to be so otherwise, Barry was right.

"This isn't about the roses. They mean nothing romantic," I dictated, "And I don't care what your feelings for me are anyway. I care about the fact that now, someone I trusted is _also_ lying to me."

"Artemis used guilt trip," Cisco murmured, "It's super effective."

"You think I'm lying to you?" Barry asked, incredulously.

"Yes."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because Dr. Wells told you to, just like he's been telling Cisco and Caitlin," I answered, before remembering something, "Oh my god. The Cosmic Treadmill."

"What about it?" Barry and Cisco responded in unison, Cisco looking rather worried.

"You use it. Oh snap - no wonder it asked for 'desired speed and input'. No fucking wonder you turned it off so easily. You use it. You run on in. It _actually_ is a treadmill," I wondered out loud, "Oh _wow_. You _all_ have been lying to my face. And I senselessly believed you."

Barry looked at Cisco again.

"Artemis, that's not true."

"Yes it is! **_Stop_** lying, Barry."

"Artemis -" Barry said, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look at him, "Do you honestly believe - that after everything you've gone through to get here, after everything we have in common about our pasts, after everything we _still_ need to find out about the speedsters who killed our parents - that I would lie to you about something as critical as that - about me being a speedster myself?!"

I pulled my arm away from him, but couldn't look away from the betrayed look on his face.

"Because - if you do believe that, then that means that I am _nowhere_ near worthy of calling myself your friend, and that I have no sense of humanity or morals, and if that's the case, then I truly don't deserve to be the Flash, and I couldn't bear to live with myself if that was the kind of person that I was."

His words settled in, and I gulped.

"What about your secret identity?" I asked meekly, "Wouldn't you need to hide it?"

"Artemis, I personally have nothing to hide or protect from you," he assured solemnly, crossing his arms and looking down at me, "And I wish I had some way to prove to you that I'm not the Flash, but you _have_ to believe me when I say that whatever you think you know - it's nothing more than a coincidence."

I nodded my head in shame.

Barry was shocked when I had confronted Cisco and Caitlin about them working with the Flash the other day.

And Barry's father was still in prison. If Barry knew anything about the speedsters who killed his mother, he would _not_ be hiding that kind of information.

And by no means did Barry seem like a liar.

I was wrong to accuse the only person I could trust of lying to me.

"You're right," I admitted timidly, "Sorry."

I turned and walked away, towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Cisco called out.

"Home, then Jitters," I responded bitterly, "I don't feel like making breakfast."

"Alright. We'll see you there, then," Barry promised half-heartedly.

I gave them one last smile, and left the building, scowling the entire way home.

* * *

**[Barry's POV]**

We watched in silence as Artemis turned and walked away, hanging her head with guilt as she disappeared down the stairs.

The second I heard the door downstairs open and then shut with a _thud_ , I collapsed to the floor and covered my face with my hands in shame for what I had said to her.

"Bro, you just dug yourself the deepest hole ever," Cisco said in a wistful voice beside me. He sat down and sighed deeply. Cisco was right - I had just used up whatever trust Artemis had left in me to lie to her face - again.

"How are we going to fix this?" I groaned, lying down on the floor.

Cisco looked down at me and shook his head dejectedly.

"She's got us all figured out. It was only a matter of time, anyway - what with everything she's seen in Central City so far."

"And now we just got her to believe that everything she knows is completely wrong."

Cisco smiled sadly at me.

"We have to tell her," I concluded grimly, still frozen in my dumbfounded position.

"True that," Cisco agreed, "Even Caitlin hates keeping her in the dark."

"And Caitlin's probably the second most protective person here, when it comes to my secret identity," I mumbled.

"Mhmm," Cisco agreed.

"How did Dr. Wells _possibly_ think having a new scientist over without telling her about me was a good idea?!"

"Beats me," He retorted, looking away in thought, "He just told us we need her for the tech and for 'scientific developments', remember? And he was _pissed_ when she showed up the other night. He was pretty clear about keeping her off of the team."

"There's no way that'll work, though!" I protested, leaning up on my elbows, "At this rate, he's either going to fire her and get her kicked out of the Lab for good, because _she's_ not going to back down, or she'll have to join the team and he'll have to comply with keeping her around."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I kinda like her," Cisco joked, "And Caitlin does too, actually. That's only making things worse - it'd be _so_ much easier to lie to her face and kick her out if she was, you know, annoying or didn't know what she was doing, or was mean or something."

"She _is_ mean," I muttered, remembering how cross she had gotten with me last night. Why - I had no idea. She just kept rubbing in to my face about how she'd always stay my friend, nothing more, nothing less, but at the same time, she had been supportive of my feelings for Iris.

Even with super speed, my brain was still too slow to figure out how girls worked.

"Not really. She's just tough around the edges, but she _does_ seem to like us all."

"No kidding," I countered, "I mean, we're all getting along fine with her."

"Some of us better than others?" Cisco asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gave him a reluctant smile.

"Do you think Dr. Wells is right about her?" I asked.

"About keeping her off the team?"

"No - about what he said. That she's a threat to us, and us not being able to trust her."

Cisco fell silent as he recalled Dr. Well's mysterious warning about her, once Wells had seen how well we were getting along with her. The Artemis Dr. Wells had described was nothing like the one we knew, and I couldn't help but feel something was off.

Artemis was funny and witty, and seemed like an honest and extremely likable person. Dr. Wells had said she was conniving and cold-hearted and would bring STAR Labs down if she found out who I was.

Cold-hearted?

Artemis was as humble as anyone could be. She completely downplayed how smart and accomplished she was, and had felt extremely guilty whenever anyone helped her - when I had bought her breakfast at Jitters, and when Cisco and Caitlin and I helped her move in - despite the fact that she could never have been able to move in on her own.

A 'cold-hearted and conniving person' would not have bothered to console a drunk Caitlin or carry her all the way home, and definitely would not have concerned themselves with Drunk Caitlin's wellbeing, or even conceded when Drunk Caitlin and Tipsy Cisco forced her to embarrass herself in group karaoke.

Artemis seemed like a caring person, and was friendly and sharp-minded. She just had this air of easiness around her that made her likable.

There was no way Wells could be right about her - Artemis was the opposite of cold-hearted.

She cared about the Lab and just wanted to know what was going on, and Dr. Wells refused to tell her.

"You know... For once in my life, I believe Dr. Wells is wrong about someone. Artemis is just as much Team Flash material as the rest of us," Cisco added.

"No kidding," I agreed.

Artemis had run right into the dangerzone when the earthquaking metahuman - SilverShock, Cisco had dubbed him - had showed up, despite the fact that both Iris and I had warned her to stay inside Jitters, where it was safe. She had completely disregarded her own safety as she stepped out to help a forgotten child at the mercy of the metahuman, and had even saved Iris from SilverShock when he had her completely vulnerable. Her last stand - when her quick-thinking led her to knock SilverShock out when I wasn't ... as victorious as I could have been, to put it lightly... dispelled any distrust I might have had for her.

She proved herself a hero, and I couldn't help but subtlely thank her for her bravery. True - the roses and the note had been an act of impulsiveness, and the fact that I had stolen the red ones insinuated something far more dramatic than intended, but I didn't mind, so long as she knew she was appreciated, even if Dr. Wells was heavily against it.

Then - when I dropped her off at a field near STAR Labs and she made her way to the Cortex, she had run straight into the medical wings where Caitlin had been treating me, and immediately asked how I was - and even blamed herself for me going missing and getting injured. She never even thought to ask Caitlin to help her with her own arms, which were bleeding quite a lot.

"There's no way around it - if we want her to stay, then we _need_ to tell her," I affirmed.

"I actually would love to have her on the team," Cisco explained.

"It's more than that. She's already found out I'm the Flash, and now - we are blatantly betraying her by lying to her. We've got to tell her the truth before she gets hard evidence, or -"

"Or she'll go Jack the Ripper on us?" Cisco offered, with a small laugh. I laughed reluctantly as well - when Dr. Wells had scolded Caitlin and Cisco for not knowing who Artemis was, Cisco decided to run a 'background check' - he basically went full-creepy and stalked her online. Aside from her academic work in college and her athletic record from high school, Cisco had also discovered something of intrigue and interest- a police record, which went into full-detail describing how violent and unrestrained she had been as a child.

"Worse. She'll hate us forever and won't talk to us again."

Cisco laughed at my response. He too finally collapsed beside me, and sighed.

"Just admit it, Barry," Cisco scoffed, "You're practically in love with her."

"Am not," I mumbled in protest. Artemis was right - I only liked Iris, and there was no point in starting something with her.

Right?

"We're all just getting along well with her," I allowed.

"Yeah, some better than others," Cisco teased, punching my bare arm before getting up.

I ignored his comment, and instead my mind went back to everything we knew about Artemis, and everything Dr. Wells had said about her.

My mind couldn't wrap around Dr. Wells' words.

He was keeping secrets from her, and we were in turn lying to her. _She_ was the innocent one here, and nobody could blame her for trying to find out what happened.

Something else Dr. Wells had told me came to mind - an ominous warning so bizarre, I doubted I'd ever be able to believe it, even if it _was_ true.

What's more - the strange detail about my past that Artemis shared with me. She was the only other person in the _world_ who had lost her mother the same way I did - on the same night, with the same murderers.

There was no way that could happen, but here it was. And here she was - in Central City, working as a physicist at STAR Labs - the same STAR Labs that guided me as the Flash. And I had full intentions to find out what happened that night, and she was just as on board with it as I was.

Everything was just so confusing - Artemis, with her mother's murder, and me with mine - both of us being here in Central City, closely involved with STAR Labs - that I couldn't believe it to be a mere coincidence.

Something was off about Dr. Wells too, regarding Artemis. He was kind, composed and fatherly around us, but cold and distant with _her_ \- why would he hire her but then keep her away from the team, when she had so much to offer and could actually help us solve my mother's murder - as well as her own?

"Dr. Wells HAS to be right about what he said about her, or we're making a grave mistake."


	10. Team Flash

**[Artemis' POV]**

I made my way over to Jitters, walking through the construction zone that was fixing the road from the attack the other day. Jitters greeted me with its omnipresent strong, coffee-bean aroma, and I smiled at the calming sensation.

Eddie, Cisco, Barry and Caitlin were all sitting and laughing together at a table with food and drinks in front of them, and Caitlin smiled at me. I dejectedly smiled back at her. I had nothing against her, but I wasn't exactly willing to deal with Eddie, after last night. After earlier today, I had no heart to confront Barry and Cisco, either. I turned to order, but was nearly knocked off of my legs as a small body ran into me and wrapped snaky arms around my knees.

"Oh - hey Theodore!" I exclaimed, bending down to take the child's smiling face into my hands. I dropped a kiss on his nose, and picked him up.

"Where's your mama?" I asked.

"Dere," the dark-haired child said, pointing to a woman throwing empty coffee cups away. She walked over to me and smiled.

"Hello again. We didn't get a chance to properly introduce ourselves the other day," she said, holding out her hand, "I'm Elaine."

"Artemis," I announced, accepting her handshake with a smile. Theodore kicked himself out of my arms, and I let him down. He walked over and dutifully took his mother's hand.

"I've got to drop him off at daycare, and go to work, so I'm sorry for the short meeting, but I hope to see you again soon," Elaine promised, still smiling at me, "Thank you again, though. He thinks of you as his hero."

I smiled and shook my head in denial.

"Well, thank you. I only did what I had to."

Elaine left with her son, and I ordered, before turning around and taking the empty seat at the table where my friends were.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Barry's future girlfriend," Eddie greeted. Caitlin nearly spewed her coffee and looked at me in disbelief, before turning to Barry.

"Explain. Now."

"I have nothing to say," Barry said, holding his hands up in surrender, "This is all on her."

"What?" Caitlin asked, facing me with surprise.

"Future girlfriend?" Cisco inquired with a devilish smile, "Oh, do tell."

I focused on unwrapping my food, completely ignoring them. The two were still waiting, and Eddie was smiling proudly as he watched my reaction.

"I'm not anyone's girlfriend," I finally said, with a mouth full of bagels, "And I don't plan on it."

"Keep denying it. The bet's still on, and I hope you live up to your word," Eddie said.

"Likewise, Thawne."

"So, Eddie, tell me about this bet," Cisco crooned.

"Well, last night, Barry and Artemis tagged along with Iris and myself on one of our dates, and then they ditched us and went on a little date of their own," Eddie explained.

"Not a date," Barry coughed.

"Wow," Cisco murmured, nudging Barry with his elbow, "You didn't tell me about that."

Even Caitlin was shooting an expectant look between me and Barry.

"And Iris and I couldn't help but notice that these two would make a cute couple, and that they've got some great chemistry -"

"What chemistry?" I interjected, wanting to leave. Barry's eyes met my own across the table, but we both looked away.

"- and so we agreed that if these two do indeed become a couple within the next two weeks, they owe us a dinner, and if not, then we owe them a dinner."

I shrugged, and continued eating, while everyone watched me, awaiting a response. Eddie's eyes glinted in amusement.

" _With love, from Central City_ , eh, Artemis?" Cisco teased. Barry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on! What's so bad about you two dating? You're both single, in your twenties, and total science geeks. And you love each other," Cisco said.

"No we don't," I replied uselessly.

"Why? What is it that's so bad its keeping you away from each other?"

"She's a Patriots fan," Barry answered quickly.

"Yeah, a Patriots fan who just moved to Central City. It'll die out pretty quickly," Caitlin added, "You don't have much to worry about."

"Thanks for the help, Caitlin," I intoned sarcastically.

"Well?" Eddie asked.

"Well what?" I asked, annoyed.

"What don't you like about each other?" Eddie continued. Cisco, Caitlin and Barry suddenly turned to me, awaiting an answer.

"Not my type?"

"That's out of the question," Eddie scoffed.

"Well, he's, ummm," I attempted, studying Barry, who had now raised a nervous eyebrow up at me. Aside from our little dispute this morning, and the fact that he liked Iris over me, I couldn't think of anything else that was particularly dis-likable. Barry was sweet, Barry was handsome, Barry was kind, and we got along pretty well.

"He's flawless," I mumbled in disbelief, "That's - that's not possible."

Barry gave me a surprised look, and Cisco raised his hands in a silent round of applause. Caitlin let out a small laugh, then immediately covered it up with a hand.

"Not bad," Eddie murmured.

"Well, that's one down," Cisco announced happily, turning to Barry.

"That doesn't mean I like him. Stop making a big deal over it." I scolded.

"She's right," Barry said, "Just drop it, guys."

"How can you not like a flawless man?" Eddie questioned incredulously.

"So, what should their couple name be?" Cisco asked Caitlin enthusiastically, brushing him off completely.

"Barrymis?" She offered.

"Artery?" Cisco shot back.

"Those all sound horrible," Barry said, "- not that I'm saying we need a shipping name."

"Or that we need to be shipped at all," I added. He nodded at me, and Eddie leaned his head on his hand, smiling at us.

"No. Not Artery," Caitlin mumbled, "What about Bartemis?"

"Artemarry!" Cisco announced with confidence, glee shining in his eyes.

"Artemarry?" Caitlin asked incredulously.

"'Artemarry' sounds like 'Ought to marry'," Eddie commented.

"See? It's perfect!" Cisco replied. Caitlin high-fived him. Barry shook his head and looked over to me.

"How did Operation Fourth Wheel turn into us being pushed into a relationship?" He asked.

"If I studied this for a hundred years, I still would have no answer for you," I responded hopelessly.

"Awwww, you two already have your own little secret operations!" Cisco gushed.

"What's Operation Fourth Wheel?" Caitlin questioned, facing me with a sweet smile. Eddie too turned to me for an explanation.

"I offered to help Barry get out of third-wheeling you and Iris," I described, picking at my breakfast.

"Oh," Eddie mused, turning to Barry, "No wonder you jumped at the chance to bring her with us yesterday."

Barry was about to defend himself, but I interrupted him by addressing Eddie.

"Hey, Thawne," I called, though Eddie was right next to me, "I needed to talk to you, actually."

"Oh? What's up?"

"I actually wanted to discuss it alone," I explained meekly, as four pairs of eyes fell onto me.

"What did you want to discuss with my boyfriend alone?" Iris the Waitress asked playfully, appearing around the table and draping her hands over Barry's and Eddie's shoulders.

"Mild safety concern I had," I lied with a smile.

"I'm kidding. I know you both better than to insinuate something like that," Iris said, smiling back at me.

"How's life, Iris?" Caitlin asked.

"It's going well," Iris responded pleasantly, squeezing Eddie's shoulder, "Just got a quick shift here, then I'm back over to the Picture News."

"How's your internship going, by the way?" I asked, glad for a chance to change the topic.

"Ugh. Horrible," Iris complained, though she still smiled, "Mason Bridges won't publish any of my work. He's under the pretense that I'm nothing more than an amateur blogger."

"Hey - your blog is pretty impressive, though," I replied, "What's his deal?"

"He's sick of me going on and on about the Flash, and actually believes there's a conspiracy behind STAR Labs. He'd much rather have me investigate that."

"What?" Cisco cried out.

"A conspiracy behind STAR Labs?!" I exclaimed sarcastically, "That's _positively_ preposterous! Why would _anyone_ accuse STAR Labs of something as _horrific_ as that?!"

Cisco, Caitlin and Barry all looked away from Iris and narrowed their eyes at me.

"I'm kidding," I conceded, "But, hey, if its STAR Labs he wants, its STAR Labs he gets. You're a creative writer. You'll come up with something so spectacular - he'll never question your writing again. I'm sure of it."

Iris's eyes twinkled as she thought over what I said.

"Yeah..." she mulled, "Yeah, maybe I will. I just needed a push in the right direction. Thanks for the pep talk, Artemis."

I shrugged at her. I wasn't really aiming to guide her, but it appeared that my words had an encouraging effect on her. She dropped a kiss on Eddie's temple and gave me a quick hug around my shoulders from behind.

" _You_ are going to help me make a name for myself," she assured, though I had no idea what that meant, and she surprised me with a quick kiss on top of my head before she walked away.

We all watched as she went back over to the counter. Even I was surprised by the quick, sisterly peck about my head.

I turned and faced Eddie with an evil grin.

"Did you see that?" I asked, smirking at him, "She kissed me. I am _so_ going to steal your girl."

Eddie shot me a look of astonishment, before giving me a short, dry laugh.

"Not a chance. Iris and I are happy together. And - she doesn't swing that way."

"Neither do I, but wouldn't it be ironic if _I'm_ the one who got the girl in the end," I joked, enjoying the disbelief on Eddie's and Barry's faces.

"You're insane. I've already got the girl," Eddie muttered, shaking his head with a weak smile, "I've got to leave. It was nice seeing you all for breakfast," he conceded, getting up to depart.

"Mind if I walk you out?" I asked, getting up as well. Eddie understood, and held an arm out towards the door.

###

"So, why are you doing this?" I asked, once we were safely outside.

"Doing what?" Eddie asked, as we walked towards his car.

"You're trying to push Barry towards me, when we clearly don't need any of that. This is all on you."

" _I_ never told you both to run off on your own last night. And would you honestly deny that you didn't have a good time with him?" Eddie remarked, "You both had a _lot_ more fun than Iris and I did, and _we're_ the couple here."

"We're just friends," I answered, slightly annoyed by his words, "You've got ulterior intentions with this. Spit it out."

Eddie sighed and stopped, and looked away.

"Look - Barry kind of intimidates me," he explained after a moment of silence, looking back at me, "And I know him and Iris are just friends, and that there probably isn't anything there -"

"There isn't," I declared, defensiveness settling through me, though I wasn't sure why, "Barry would never try to hurt your relationship. And he doesn't have any feelings for Iris whatsoever."

"I - I know that," Eddie allowed nervously, putting a hand to my shoulder, "But it would really put my mind at ease if - if"

"If what?"

"If I had some surety on that matter," Eddie confessed, looking at me with uncertainty, "And I'm not trying to push you into a relationship - I'm sorry if it came off that way - but I think it would just take a lot of stress off of our own relationship if I knew for sure that Barry was invested in someone else."

"And what makes you think I'm that 'someone else'? There's thousands of people in this city," I argued, "What makes you think I'm even willing to be in a relationship with him? Barry doesn't need to be in a relationship for you to have peace of mind. It's all in your head. Don't try to set us up."

"Nobody's setting anyone up," Eddie explained, opening the door to his car, "But there is potential between you and Barry. And it wouldn't hurt anyone if you both acted on it. I'll see you around."

Eddie drove off, and left me in a state of confusion.

He was right. Barry and I did have a good time last night, even if it was just as friends. We always got along well together. And, to be fair, I did see where Eddie's logic was coming from. Iris turned fluttery as a happy butterfly around Barry. If someone got my significant other to act like that, even _I_ would want them out of the picture.

Still, I didn't like the way Eddie was being forceful about it.

He had no right to use me to get his competition out of the way.

"Maybe he's just saying that to win your bet?" a female voice offered behind me. I turned and saw Caitlin waiting by the Jitters entrance, smiling nervously at me. I smiled back at her.

"How much of that did you hear?" I asked.

"Pretty much all of it," she responded with a poised nod, before smiling and pulling me back inside Jitters, leading me back to our table, seating me next to Barry.

"The last thing any of us needs is drama in our lives," she described, nodding at me and Barry, "And the two of you do seem to be good friends. So - just don't let any of this get to you. Let things slide, and if something was meant to happen, it'll happen on its own. Don't worry about the rest."

Barry nodded solemnly.

"Thanks, Caitlin."

Caitlin smiled appreciatively at us. I couldn't help breaking into a smile too. She always seemed to know what to say.

"Just go make babies already," Cisco groaned, dismissing us with a sip of his drink. I glared at him, and he smiled innocently back at us.

"There are two kinds of people in this world," Barry muttered. I chuckled at his remark.

Caitlin was about to say something, but was interrupted by a ringtone off of Cisco's phone. Answering it, he turned to Caitlin.

"Sorry, Jack and Rose, but we gotta jet. Dr. Wells is waiting for us," he said, getting up to push his chair in. Caitlin followed in his example.

"Alright - tell Dr. Wells that I miss him. Dearly," I joked. Caitlin smiled and rolled her eyes at me. The two waved us goodbye, and turned to walk out, but Caitlin spun around and walked back over to me.

"Wait - when do you want us to come over?" She asked.

"Whenever is fine for you. I've got nothing to do this entire week."

"Gee, I wonder why," Barry mumbled beside me. I gently slapped his arm.

"Will tomorrow after work be okay?" Caitlin asked.

"Tomorrow's fine."

"Okay. See you then," Caitlin answered, squeezing my hand warmly before turning away. Cisco saluted at us, and the two left, leaving me alone with Barry.

"Some morning," I muttered. Barry chuckled beside me.

"Yeah... Interesting morning indeed," he said, smiling at me. I finished my food in silence, and turned to him, enjoying our silence together, before realizing something.

"Don't you have to go to work?"

"What?"

"Work. You know - forensics lab? CCPD? Angry receptionist lady?" I observed, "The little hall on the third floor of the building located at the intersection of -"

"Artemis, I know where I work," Barry assured, "And - yeah, I probably should get going."

"Are you driving yourself?"

"Nah. It's not far. And walking is great exercise, anyway," Barry said.

"Though, you might have to run, now, if you know what I mean..." I joked, "You're a bit late."

"Yeah, maybe," Barry responded, smiling in agreement.

"Don't go too fast, though, or all of that friction might burn the city to the ground."

"You're hilarious. See you later?" Barry asked, holding his fist out for a fist-bump.

"See you later," I agreed, lightly hitting my fist to his. Barry faced away to leave, but soon turned back to me.

"Wait - if it's okay, could I come over on Thursday?"

"Sure? Why?"

"So we could just, like, compare evidence about, you know, the murders?"

Cold settled through me, and I nodded my head as I recalled the pictures of Nora Allen stabbed on the ground - almost identical to the ones I had of my own mother stabbed in bed.

"Alright. Thanks," Barry stated.

"Bye, Barry."

Barry smiled one last time and I wistfully watched him leave Jitters and walk down the sidewalk.

Barry was right. There was no way he could be the Flash. He was too gentle and poised for that kind of action, that kind of exhilaration.

And - again - if he knew anything about the speedsters who had killed his mother, he wouldn't hide that kind of information, especially from me.

###

I spent the next two days in idleness, fixing up my apartment and making dinner for my incoming guests.

A visit to the gym that morning allowed for another impromptu meeting with Cisco and Barry, the former who promised he would be at my place by seven that evening with Caitlin after work, the latter who asked me to teach him how to run better and ended up humiliating himself at the expense of myself and Cisco.

I smiled at the memory and finished cooking dinner, when the front door opened and Cisco entered without warning.

"You could at least knock!" Caitlin reprimanded, following in after him.

"Artemis loves me, though!" Cisco protested, turning to me for support. I laughed.

"It's fine - my house is your house, right?" I offered, wiping my hands and walking over to them.

"I don't really need your house, just your kitchen," Cisco explained, winking at me as he walked past to my pantry.

"You shouldn't be so casual with him about that stuff," Caitlin advised, "He'll rack up a fortune in grocery costs."

"He already has," I muttered, though I couldn't help smiling at Cisco.

"Cisco, I already cooked dinner!" I protested, as I watched him fix a sandwich.

"What - Artemis, you didn't need to make anything for us!" Caitlin mentioned, "We just came to see you!"

"Nonsense," I replied, dismissing her. I addressed Barry.

"Didn't know _you'd_ be coming over too," I commented. He smiled sheepishly and held up a serving dish covered in aluminum.

"Joe and I made pasta. He insisted I give some to you for eating up all of your cookies yesterday."

"You made cookies yesterday!?" Cisco called out in mistrust, "And you _didn't_ save any for me?!"

"Barry, you know this wasn't necessary," I said, ignoring Cisco.

"There's no way anyone can say no to Joe, though," Barry conceded, scratching the back of his head. I told Barry to give my thanks to Joe and give him my best regards, and set the warm dish on my dining table. Behind us, Cisco opened up the oven, letting warm waves of food-scented air spread throughout my living room.

"Is that a casserole?" Cisco inquired with a mouth full of sandwich.

"It's dinner," I answered, "And it'll be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you come join us and socialize in the meantime? Did you come here to see me or my food?"

Barry laughed as Cisco looked embarrassed, finished off his sandwich, and joined the three of us in my dining room.

"So - what brings you all to my lovely residence?" I asked, once we were all settled in.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Caitlin explained.

"And talk to you about STAR Labs," Cisco added hurriedly.

"Wait - now?!" Barry exclaimed in astonishment.

""Well, yeah. Now," Cisco replied, although both he and Barry seemed confused.

"So, how have things been?" Caitlin continued, ignoring the men.

"Things have been okay, so far," I answered with a shrug, "Not much to do when you're not working."

"How're your arms?" Cisco asked, signalling towards my rolled up sleeves.

"Oh - they're perfectly fine. Although it sucks to wear full-sleeves in this weather," I joked, "Maybe if Barry lent me some of his concealer, then it wouldn't be much of an issue?"

"Concealer?" Barry asked, perplexed by my words.

"Yeah, you - wait, was I not supposed to bring this up?" I asked.

"What?" Barry inquired.

"Yesterday. You told me you used concealer to cover up your scratches and bruises. From the metahuman attack?"

"Oh?" Barry asked, "I mean - oh! Right! Yeah, the, uhh, makeup shop..."

Cisco threw his friend a worried glance, and Caitlin tapped her fingers in rhythm on the table, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation.

"You both are weird," Cisco finally concluded.

"Agreed," Barry and I remarked in unison, before smiling at each other from across the table.

Behind us, the timer for my oven went off.

"Well, sorry guys, you can't call me weird and expect me to feed you," I remarked in jest, getting up. Caitlin laughed at the men's reaction and followed me into my kitchen. I shooed her out and returned with the food and plates, utensils, drinks, whatnot, and everyone helped themselves.

"So you're an engineer, physicist _and_ a cook?" Cisco asked, helping himself to a hearty serving.

"I'm not really a cook - I'm just a 21 year old bored out of her mind."

"Who always keeps good food on standby?" Cisco added.

"I mean, I can _always_ change that if it's bothering you -"

"No, no!" Cisco said, "No need for any that!"

"So, how's work treating you both?" I asked Caitlin.

"See, _that's_ the unanswerable question," she confessed, "But we'd like to change that."

" _Do_ go on."

"As you know, Dr. Wells has been asking us to not tell you certain things about STAR Labs," Cisco explained, "And - the way he wants things to work - is probably going to get you kicked out for good, since there's so much we're not allowed to tell you."

"And we were thinking," Caitlin continued, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "That we _don't_ want to get you kicked out."

"Oh, I like the sound of that," I answered, "so... what are we going to do?"

I felt glad my friends were on my side and finally understood how nerve-wracking it was for me to not be in on the know.

"We're going to try and convince Dr. Wells on our part to change his mind about you," Cisco explained.

"Why? What did he say about me?"

The trio awkwardly looked at each other.

"Well - he said it might be a bit... dangerous... for you to be working with us," Caitlin explained with hesitation.

"How?" I asked, confused by Caitlin's comment, "What are you doing that's safe for you but not me?"

"The way Dr. Wells put it... It'd be safer for _us_ if you weren't involved..." Barry conceded.

"What do you mean?" I asked, offended.

"To put it gently, Dr. Wells thinks we're in danger... from _you_ ," Caitlin answered.

"What? From _me_?!" I declared, "That makes no sense - I'm not going to hurt you! I'm not a metahuman!"

"Well, he's worried you're a bit... reckless..." Cisco offered.

"And impulsive," Barry continued nervously, "Among several... _other_...things."

The three of them put down their forks and gauged my reaction.

"I _am_ reckless and impulsive," I answered, after thinking it over for a moment, "I've _always_ been that way. That's how things just work for me - I see opportunities to make things work, and I take them and deal with the consequences later."

Cisco sighed.

"And that's a very strong quality to have, Katniss," he described solemnly, "But, even I can admit I agree with him on that part, because the work we're doing is pretty dangerous. And you're mad smart - nobody can deny that - but... we can't have anyone hurt because of your brashness."

"Then again, you're a very quick problem solver. I've read about you, you know, and we do think we need someone like you on the team," Caitlin responded with a gentle smile, "And trust me - Dr. Wells _does_ appreciate your intelligence. He can't turn you down once he sees how much good you're doing."

Someone like you on the team...

"So, describe this team," I began.

"Well, you saw what we were doing the other night, right?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah - you were talking to Barry through some kind of radio system. You were guiding him through the metahuman strike. What was that about?"

Caitlin, Cisco and I looked to Barry. He bit the side of his lip, and faced away, and shook his head no.

"Oh.." Caitlin murmured, "Well, that's for him to tell you. But anyways, we're sort of.. helping the Flash fight metahumans."

"Well, I knew that already."

"You did?"

"Caitlin, I'm not that stupid," I answered, giving her a pitiful smile. She smiled back at me.

"We couldn't keep this from you, could we?"

"So, who is he? The Flash, I mean."

"You'll find out soon enough," Barry assured, getting up, "May I, um, have some more?"

"Of course," I assured, handing the casserole over to him, "Would you guys like some of this pasta? I can't eat it by myself."

Cisco nodded his head, and Caitlin rolled her eyes at him. I smiled at them and reheated the pasta, and brought it back to them.

"So, do I know him?"

"Know who?" Cisco asked, drinking some water.

"The Flash. Do I know who he is in real life?"

" _Do_ you?" Caitlin asked, eyeing my skeptically.

"I don't know," I asserted, "Is he _cute_?"

"What?" Cisco pressed.

"Is he cute? Come on guys - I'm wasting away in here. I'm in my twenties. I've spent my entire life behind textbooks and lab counters. It can't hurt to go out, can it?"

"With a _metahuman_?" Barry asked, "Why don't you try dating an actual human being first, before you move onto a superpowered subspecies affected by dark matter fallout?"

"And I do believe you have your first volunteer," Cisco added smoothly, pointing his spoon at Barry, who rolled his eyes at his friends.

"What can I say?" I joked, "I'm an overachiever."

Barry studied me, and shook his head again with a helpless smile.

"Dr. Wells was right about her. She'll ruin us."

"She'll ruin _you_ , maybe, but she's harmless to the rest of us."

"I'm going to ruin you? Why? What's wrong with Barry?"

"See, getting hit by lightning made him extremely susceptible," Caitlin explained, though I could tell she was making fun of him.

"Susceptible to what?"

"Cute, smart, badass girls," Cisco explained, poking Barry with his fork. Barry glared at him.

"My bad, Barry," I confessed, "Should I call an ambulance? Or should Caitlin and I leave?"

Caitlin and Cisco turned and laughed at me in amazement, and Barry facepalmed himself.

Before I could react, Cisco dashed out of my dining room, and came back with a small box that contained the cake I had bought earlier that day.

"Dessert? For my beloved guests?"

"Such a kind host!" I teased, getting up to help him.

"Why is it that whenever someone comes to check up on you, you end up feeding them?" Barry asked.

"Van Kleiss hospitality. Nobody ever came to our house and left with an empty stomach back when my parents were alive. That included Dr. Wells."

"That included who?" Caitlin questioned in disbelief.

"Dr. Wells. He was a friend of my parents - didn't he tell you that?"

"No?" Cisco answered, "I mean, we knew he's worked with the Van Kleiss', but we assumed that's as far as the relationship went?"

"It's not a night without a plot twist, now, is it?" I said with a smile, "Obviously this was more than a couple years ago, but Dr. Wells was on good terms with both of my parents. He'd be over for dinner for a few nights."

"That's interesting..." Cisco mused, "More than interesting. Caitlin - we need to use this somehow."

Caitlin nodded at him, before facing me.

"We forgot to tell you your half of the plan."

"Oooh. What do I get to do? Do I, like, get to stakeout undercover at STAR Labs? Hide and eavesdrop on you guys while you're with Wells?"

"Umm-"

"Or - no, you'll give me some super advanced high-tech device that will let me see and hear everything you do from afar. Like a portable security system, or goggles that can see through walls, or something."

"Well, not exactl-"

"Dramatically guilt-trip Dr. Wells into accepting me by tearfully reminding him of his friendship with my parents, and how they'd disapprove of how he's treating me!"

"Artem -"

"Or wait! I can totally, like, fake being in trouble and Dr. Wells can direct the Flash on how to come get me, and when we both come back to the Lab, we can totally fess up and tell him we staged it, and he'll just feel soooo ashamed. Like, hell yeah, we caught you red-handed, you little sneak! How does that sound?"

Barry and Cisco both gave me pitiful smiles, and Caitlin seemed taken aback.

"We actually just need you to stay out Dr. Wells' hair," Cisco explained, "Be nice to him. Obey what he says. Leave if you're asked."

"Because we just need you to be on good terms with him, until we work everything out. Don't even risk him throwing you out before that." Barry added.

"And he can't really take you off the team once you're on it, so after that, we'll all be set." Caitlin finalized, "He'll no longer see you as a threat to the team, and we'll all be happy!"

"Me?" I scoffed, "A threat? I'm sorry - I still can't believe that."

Cisco smiled at Caitlin and Barry before pulling out his phone.

"Oh - hold up. I got this," he began, as he started to read something off of the screen, "Blake Nelson, Newark, New Jersey. A broken leg, seventeen stitches across the torso. Dalton Tate, also from New Jersey. Poor Dalton need six new tooth transplants. Elma Chung, Jersey as well. You managed to crack her sternum. These are only three of the fifteen children you have been reported for physical assault, all of which you did before your tenth birthday."

" _Tenth_ birthday?" Barry asked in shock, looking at me in a new light.

"But wait - there's more!" Cisco announced. Caitlin cleared her throat beside him and read off of her phone.

"Your stepsiblings at the time - Kristin and Leslie Lee - feared you, like you were a monster. You'd bully and harass them as well, tell them lightning phantoms would kill them in their sleep, and were cited on several occasions as being a disruptive, violent, unrestrained and altogether a very uncontrollable child."

"Hey, guys! Come on!" I protested, "I was, like, ten at the time! Won't the ' _I was heavily traumatized by the loss of both parents_ ' excuse cut it for me?"

"And that doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg," Cisco added, "You have destroyed public and private property, and racked up several thousands of dollars worth in repair charges by the time you were-"

"Stop," I ordered, though I found it in myself to smile at them, "I get where this is going. Jersey, Virginia, Colorado. Dr. Wells doesn't want me on the team because he thinks I'm a freak because of my past."

"No." Cisco countered, "Dr. Wells doesn't want you on the team because you're too tough for him. And not only that - you're smart. Too smart."

"Oh please. He's a world-reknown physicist. I'm just a college graduate. I haven't a dollar to my name."

Barry spewed his water across the table, and Cisco and Caitlin fell silent with shock at my words. Barry mumbled an apology and wiped away at his mess with a napkin.

"Not a _dollar_ to your name, Artemis?" Caitlin pleaded.

"Your name is Van Kleiss. That automatically dubs you a supergenius," Cisco remarked.

"Both of your parents won Nobel Prizes. And you - despite your disturbing past - managed to knock out as one of the best students in the entire nation. You've won several awards in -"

"Oh, please _remind_ me!" I begged sarcastically, "I'm _feeding_ off of your praise right now."

"No, seriously, though," Barry added, "He hasn't said it up front, but we think he's afraid you'll... take over his work, or something like that."

"How very mature of him," I replied snarkily.

"Barry might be right," Caitlin persisted, "We can't seem to figure out any other reason why Dr. Wells would be so hesitant to add you to the team."

"Well, Dr. Wells has nothing to worry about," I announced, leaning back in my chair, "My parents' lab in Cambridge is left entirely to me. If I wanted to take over someone's work and command a lab, I've got one of my own back home."

"So why did you come here, then?" Cisco asked.

"Because," I said with a sigh, "I made a promise to my mother. During one of her last moments alive. We had agreed we wouldn't reopen the lab until we found who killed my father, and brought the murderer to justice. I thought that by coming to Central City, I could find some answers here. Plus - I had some serious respect for Dr. Wells at the time, you know, him being a friend of my parents and inventing the particle accelerator and whatnot."

Cisco and Caitlin both looked down, then turned to Barry.

"Then you did the right thing," Caitlin asserted, squeezing my hand.

"Dr. Wells may be a jerk to you, but you're going to get your job back. We'll help you with that," Cisco promised, "And - we promise - together, we will find whoever killed your parents. And your mother, Barry. We're a team."

I smiled at him.

"You may have lost your family, Artemis," Caitlin continued, "But it would mean the world to us if you accepted us as your own."

"Did I ever tell you guys you're the best things in existence?" I questioned softly, amazed at how supportive they all were.

"No, but it wouldn't hurt if you said it more often," Cisco responded, smiling casually.

"A team, huh?" I asked, "So, does this team have a name, or something?"

"Well, we're currently going with Team Flash, but we're totally open to suggestions," Cisco affirmed.

"No, no. Team Flash is fine," I assured, before breaking into a grin, "Now, if the Flash could, like, dash into the room and join us for this heartfelt occasion, I'd totally feed him."

"Sorry, but he can't really be here right now," Barry answered, shaking his head.

"No?"

"No," Barry said apologetically, "But, I mean, I could totally take some of this food to give to him if you'd li-"

I ruffled his hair.

"Nice try, Allen. You know you're welcome to eat as much as you want, anyway," I guarunteed, looking at how the servings trays for both the two main courses and the dessert are almost clean, "Not that there's much left. Barry, how _much_ did you eat?!"

Cisco and Caitlin laughed as Barry tried to make a feeble excuse.

I stepped up from my chair and hugged all three of them in a makeshift hug around their shoulders, and Caitlin persisted on helping me clean up. The four of us spent the rest of the evening just conversing and laughing, and before I knew it, it was time to go.

"Alright, see you around, _Team Flash_ ," I said, holding the door open for my friends. Caitlin grabbed me and pulled me into a tight, warm hug, and I hugged her back. She pulled away and Cisco did the same.

Barry stood away from me and awkwardly scratched his head, before holding a fist out for a fistbump.

"What's the matter with you?" I jeered, stubbornly holding my arms open for him.

"I - a fistbump is fine. We don't have to hug."

"Barry," Caitlin ordered in an easy voice, "Hug her. She fed you. And you weren't even invited."

Barry dropped his fist and sighed with a small smile before walking into my embrace, and held me tightly against his shoulders.

" _Artemarry_ ," Cisco sang in a small voice, "Caitlin, I totally get where Eddie is coming from with thi-"

"See? This is why we can't have nice things!" Barry protested.

I pulled away from Barry and gently punched Cisco in the arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, "Watch it! I'm a delicate human being!"

"Group hug!" Caitlin offered, as she stepped forward and pulled all of us in. I yelped as I somehow found myself squished in between her and Barry, and Cisco managed to free one arm.

"If we don't take a selfie, did it actually happen?" he asked, and Caitlin and Barry hugged me from both sides as all four of us smiled at Cisco's phone. Another round of awkward hugs and goodbyes later, and I found myself alone in my apartment, smiling to myself.

Team Flash was going to be amazing.

I couldn't help but wonder who the Flash was, though.

###

I decided to dedicate the next day to formulate my part of Caitlin's and Cisco's plan - winning Dr. Wells back.

My stepmother, Miranda Walker, who was responsible for me knowing how to cook, always advised that the fastest way to a man's heart was through his stomach.

Lin, her husband, told me it was with a knife through his chest.

As much as I would have liked to follow Lin's advice in dealing with Dr. Wells, Miranda was clearly the more feasible option at the time. Caitlin said Dr. Wells loved beef, for some strange reason, and also almond cake. I got cooking, and while waiting for the dishes to finish up, I continued to plan out my days at STAR Labs.

Dr. Wells would probably keep me away from any metahuman or Flash-related activities, seeing how 'reckless and impulsive' I was, so I'd need other work to do to pass the time.

I sighed and went to my room - the second bedroom which I had slowly but surely been designing, and walked over to my bookshelf, which held some of my favorite books. I plopped down on my bed with an old classic, but my mind wasn't interested in the words.

My parents would have known what to do in a situation like this.

My parents!

How could I have been so stupid?

They had left the entire field of artificial chemistry unfinished when they were killed, and there were so many undiscovered secrets left when it came to vankleissium - the element that they had discovered!

I got up and went back to my shelf, pulling out all of the books my parents had published, and looked through them.

I had no idea if Dr. Wells would let me use his lab to conduct my own independent experiments and tests, but what was the harm in asking?

If he said no, it's not like it would make a difference in our relationship - he detested me anyway. Staying out of his unkempt black hair might give him some breathing room and let him see me in a new light.

And if he said yes to my request, which I prayed he would, then I would not only be taking a step towards finishing my parents' work, but maybe I could approach the metahuman issue - how to stop them for good, strip them of their powers, put an end to their reign of terror in this poor city.

Alright - I'd definitely need a metahuman to experiment on, and I doubted the Flash would stop by, but that was an issue for another day.

I took out the dishes I had made for Dr. Wells - Mediterranean-style beef stew and a double-layered almond cake, along with smaller, separate proportions for a certain thief of mine, and made my way over to Cisco's place for the first time.

After locating his townhome in a separate part of the complex, I knocked on his door. No answer. He was at the Lab today, I remembered, and welcomed myself with my keys into his home - which was both impeccably neat and impossibly messy. Neat as in everything was stored away - his kitchen, floor, and living room area were immaculate and spotless. Messy, as in there were papers and notes littered all across the dining room table, the coffee table, and around his shelves. This house clearly belonged to a dedicated scientist.

I located his car keys hanging from a hook, and left a note telling him I was stealing his car, and left the smaller ration of food for him on his counter as a thank-you.

Dr. Wells would be at home today, my friends had told me yesterday. And I planned to have a talk with him.

Rolling Cisco's car into an affluent neighborhood, with huge houses and expensive cars, I located the address Caitlin had given me, and parked in the huge driveway overlooked by a modern-style stone house.

I felt awash with nervousness all of a sudden - this would be the first time I'd be seeing Dr. Wells since he had furiously kicked me out of the Lab.

Would he be mad at me for coming over to his home without an invitation? Would he take it the wrong way, as me being snobby or pushy, or trying to be manipulative? Would it only aggravate him further, as he did seem to be incredibly moody around me?

Relax, I ordered myself. You have pure intentions, and whatever happens - will happen. And nobody ever turned away someone with an apology and food.

I walked up the path to the door of the elaborate home, and knocked. The door opened almost immediately, revealing Dr. Wells in his wheelchair.

Funny, I mused. How could he have answered the door so quickly in a wheelchair, unless he had been there the entire time?

Dr. Wells gave me a shocked and confused look.

"Oh - hello, sir," I offered awkwardly, "I'd just wanted to stop by and apologize to you. For my behavior last week?"

"You did?" Dr. Wells asked, seeming surprised by my statement, "By all means, come inside."

Dr. Wells drove his wheelchair further into his modern, elegant home, and I followed, closing the door behind me. He had such a nice house - dark, marble floor, black walls lined with huge paintings, neat shelves with books and conventional sculptures.

"I made you something," I stated, trying to keep my voice calm and kind as I held up the serving dishes. Dr. Wells turned and eyed me cautiously, before breaking into a gratified smile.

"Well, now. That's really quite kind of you. If you could, could you leave it in the dining room?" He asked. I complied and left towards the room he gestured to, and returned. I sat in a leather armchair facing opposite his wheelchair.

"How have you been, since I last saw you, Ms. Van Kleiss?" He asked flatly, giving me a reluctant smile.

"I've been well," I started, maintaining my composure, "I, uhh, I really did feel bad about being so suspicious and rude to you the other day. It really was unlike me."

Dr. Wells arched an eyebrow up at me. I took it as a cue to continue.

"The metahuman attack must have just stressed me out. I promise I won't disobey you, or question your orders, again. I understand that everything that happens at STAR Labs is the way you want it, and as my employer and a respected physicist, I should know better than to challenge your ways."

Dr. Wells broke into a silent laugh.

"Oh dear. You sound exactly like your father."

"I do?"

"You think I don't know where you got your rebellious streak from?" he inquired fondly, giving me what I hoped was a genuine grin, "The kind of things Laurus would say to get out of trouble, only to wile his way back into it."

I smiled, before I realized what Dr. Wells was implying.

"Oh - no. I meant what I said. I've given it a lot of time to think over, and I'm okay with you excluding me from certain tasks. From here on out, I'm only going to comply with what you expect of me."

"Is that so?"

"Dr. Wells, if you truly knew my father, you'd know he couldn't lie to save his life," I answered with an easy smile. It was true - I was never able to lie without getting caught, and my father had been the same.

Dr. Wells' eyes twinkled, and he nodded.

"Yes, I guess you're right," he conceded, folding his hands in his lap, "But, see, this is where a problem begins. I might have to expel you from the lab on several occasions, without warning. You may be without work for several days at a time. And - I'm really not sure how to tell you - but I do believe I may have to relieve you of your duties, if I'm not able to keep you at the lab at all. And I don't want to do that."

"Wait, so you never intended to have me in on T-" I almost said Team Flash. Cisco and Caitlin had warned me not to let Dr. Wells know they had spilled their secrets to me, "on your other operations?"

"I am afraid not, Ms. Van Kleiss."

My heart sank once again, as I tried to choose my words carefully.

"Well, that's fine. But - could you atleast tell me what it is that I'm at risk of, that Caitlin, Cisco and Barry aren't?"

As in, what sets them apart from me? Other than my 'reckless and impulsive' behavior? What gives them the chance to help you out like that?

Dr. Wells' looked away and sighed, taking off his glasses. He pondered for a moment before answering, and placing them back on.

"It's actually more of a selfish reason, really," he explained, "Both of your parents were good friends of mine. I had initially wanted you at my lab, because you have proven to take on after them in several ways, but some of the work we do just might be too dangerous. Lives have been lost, Ms. Van Kleiss. And you are young. You have your entire life ahead of you. I don't know how I could live with myself if something happened to you, when I have been entrusted with caring for you."

His voice sounded kind, but I didn't believe him. He barely knew me - how could he claim to have become so attached to me already?

My parents had been dead for several years now. If he said he was looking out for me for their sake, he should have done it earlier, when I had trouble finding a home.

He's lying to me again, I realized fearfully, though I wasn't sure why I felt so afraid of a helpless physicist all of a sudden.

Work your way around this carefully, Artemis.

"Dr. Wells, I'm well aware of the danger of metahumans, and I honestly do not mind the risk of the situation," I construed hopefully, "I plan on using my life to help others, and I believe STAR Labs is the perfect place for me to execute that."

Dr. Wells studied me carefully. Did he sense that I caught his bluff?

"You don't believe me," he stated surly with a grudging smile, as if he was in pain, "And I can't blame you. I've been secretive around you during your time here. You and I have a strained relationship, which I did not intend, but I still had a close bond with your parents. I'm keeping you safe for them, Artemis. And I refuse to involve you in our private operations. End of discussion."

The cold light in Dr. Wells' eyes was unforgiving and stern - I know I won't be able to get out of this, even though I'm certain he's feeding me bull.

Time to implement Plan B.

"Fine," I gave in, "I promised I wouldn't challenge your decisions, so I won't. But I think I still have a lot to offer STAR Labs."

"How so?" Dr. Wells challenged.

"You're catching the metahumans, and developing methods to take them down, from what I know. But you're not doing anything to take their abilities away for good, so they're still a threat regardless of whether or not they're in the Pipeline. And - you agree that what I'm saying is true, right?"

"I concur," Dr. Wells agreed, "What do you have in mind?"

I pulled out _Vankleissium and the Basis of Artificial Chemistry_ , a book my parents had written together, and handed it to Dr. Wells, and leaned forward.

"I was hoping you would let me conduct my own independent experiments at STAR Labs. I want to figure out how to use vankleissium - and the ecfranite particle - to strip metahumans of their abilities."

Dr. Wells' eyes lit up and he paused flipping through the book.

"Ms. Van Kleiss, that's... a _spectacular_ idea," he mused, surprised. I broke into a disbelieving smile. For once, Dr. Wells was on the same page as me.

"Really?"

"Yes, yes, I -" he muttered, shaking his head in awe, "Why didn't I think of that? I should have thought of that,"

"So you'll let me stay?" I questioned cautiously, "At STAR Labs?"

"Absolutely," he assured, and I followed him as he wheeled himself into his kitchen.

"There is so much that element has to offer," Dr. Wells pondered, as he poured two glasses of red wine, "It could change the face of how we deal with metahumans altogether. Once again, a member of the Van Kleiss family has astounded me with their intellect."

He handed me one of the glasses, and I reluctantly took it. I never had alcohol before in my life, and I definitely did not know what to make of myself drinking with Dr. Wells, but I couldn't ruin the progress I had made with him.

"Once again, I was wrong about you," Dr. Wells stated in his raspy voice, as he held his glass up, a silent offer for me to touch mine to his. I did so, and hesitantly brought the glass to my lips, before my conscience forced me to pull my hand away.

"I - I'm sorry, Dr. Wells. I don't mean to be rude," I apologized, putting the glass on the counter, "But I don't drink."

After taking a sip of his own glass, Dr. Wells put his own glass down.

"Oh..." he muttered apologetically, "My bad. I should have asked before inferring -"

"No, no. It's fine. You're not to blame here," I assured quickly, not wanting to ruin the friendship I had just rebuilt with him.

"Would you like to eat?" I asked instead, pointing towards the dishes I had placed on his table.

Dr. Wells smiled at me.

"What did you bring me?" he asked, turning his wheelchair towards a low cabinet, from which he retrieved plates and utensils.

I walked over to the table and uncovered the dishes. The warm, comforting aroma of cooked meat loafed from the dish, and caught Dr. Wells' attention.

"Just some beef stew. And a bit of almond cake," I explained, "I heard you enjoyed them, so I figured I might as well bring you something if I was going to drop by."

"You are something else altogether, Ms. Van Kleiss," Dr. Wells stated, though he smiled, "You didn't need to do this."

I gave him a small smile back.

"Does _everyone_ in Central City hate being fed?!" I joked.

"Certainly not Cisco," Dr. Wells scoffed, and I laughed at his words.

"Won't you be joining me?" He asked, gesturing towards the second empty plate he had brought.

"Ahh - no, I'm good," I answered with a shake of my head.

Dr. Wells smiled at me, and helped himself to the beef stew, washing it down with the wine. After a few bites, he spoke up.

"This tastes exactly like how your mother used to make it!" He complimented ecstatically, "I haven't had stew like this since she was alive."

I laughed at his words.

"Yeah, wouldn't it do _her_ a good one to hear you say that," I responded. Dr. Wells nodded at me.

"It certainly would. You're growing up to become just like your parents."

"Dr. Wells - that actually means a lot to me. That you'd say that."

"And it certainly means a lot to me that I'm on good terms with you again. I have no idea how your parents would react if they were still alive and saw the way I have to treat you."

"Yeah, I'm more than certain they'd skewer you alive," I said with a gentle chuckle. Dr. Wells' eyes twinkled at me.

"So, just to be clear, you'll let me stay at STAR Labs full-time, right?" I asked. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shook his head no. My morale dropped with disappointment.

"No. I'm sorry about that. Unfortunately, there _will_ still be instances when I will have to ask you to leave unexpectedly."

I slowly nodded my head.

"But you will have full access to anything you need, for your experiments and whatnot. You'll have my full support," Dr. Wells assured.

"Thank you, sir."

"Actually, you are welcome to come back to the lab tomorrow. I think it's best if you maximize your time there, seeing as how you can't stay there as often as my other scientists."

"Really?" I asked enthusiastically. This had to mean something, right? Full access to the lab, aside from when Team Flash was in action? With his full support?

This was progress!

Dr. Wells chuckled.

"Yes. Really," he replied, "Although you understand you _will_ have to leave when asked."

"Understood. It's a small price to pay on the path of winning my own Nobel," I retorted jokingly. Dr. Wells concurred, and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking, and bonding over the one thing we had in common - our passion for science, and our memories with my parents. He recalled his most memorable instances with them, and told me funny stories about them that I hadn't heard before. I also shared memories of quirky things the two of them used to do, and how the duo was an unlikely match - with my easygoing, gentle father and my sharp, witty mother - but still managed to be the greatest team ever.

We also discussed some of the more ridiculous achievements in the scientific world, and shared our own opinions on them.

I couldn't believe what was happening - I had seemingly won Dr. Wells back over, although he still hid secrets from me.

But it was a start. It was better than nothing, and I would work with it until Dr. Wells trusted me enough to let me work with the Flash as well.

"Well, thank you for allowing me to come over, sir," I said, getting up, "I really should be going."

"Why? Did you have somewhere to be?" Dr. Wells questioned incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uhh, I offered to babysit my neighbor's kid for her," I lied. While I appreciated his hospitality, I'd feel uncomfortable if I stayed past my warranted amount of time.

"How thoughtful of you," Dr. Wells commented with a small smile, and we made our way out of his kitchen together.

"I can't help but notice you're becoming increasingly close with Mr. Allen," he stated.

Oh, god. Not him too.

"Yes, he's a rather interesting person," I answered flatly.

"I'm sure by now, you must have heard of how he lost his mother?"

I paused in place, and nodded my head.

"He lost her the same way I lost both of my parents," I replied, before realizing something absurd, "I can't help but notice how funny it all is."

"Funny?" Dr. Wells questioned.

"Not funny as in hilarious. Funny as in strange," I explained, "We both lost our mothers to speedsters on the same exact night, and now, here we both are. In Central City. Where there is a speedster. And we're both scientists, dedicated to stopping metahumans. I would be lying to you if I didn't admit I find it a bit terrifying. I mean, this _can't_ be a series of coincidences that everything is working out this way."

Dr. Wells nodded his head.

"Dr. Wells, would you happen to know how many speedsters there are here?"

He pursed his lips and thought it over before answering.

"Only the Flash, as far I'm concerned."

I nodded my head at him, letting his words sink in.

Finally - one of us brought up the Flash.

"Is there... is there a reason why you're keeping me away from the Flash?"

"Ms. Van Kleiss, I'm not sure what else to say, other than the fact that I have lost your father and your mother to a speedster. The Flash is... an interesting being, and I am unsure of what would happen if the two of you met."

"Oh," I replied, though I found his answer rather vague. Dr. Wells took his glasses off and looked at me with sharp blue eyes.

"What I'm saying is - I wouldn't want for you to engage in anything that could result in your death. I can't make it any simpler than that."

"So the Flash wants to _kill_ me?!"

What was Dr. Wells saying? That by coming to Central City, I made myself vulnerable to the Flash? That he'd kill me, just like he had killed my father and my mother, alongside the yellow speedster?

But - but Caitlin, Cisco, Barry and Iris all said he was on the good guys' side!

For Pete's sake, they _worked_ with him at STAR Labs! They knew him!

Would they know of his intentions with me? Was he truly a malevolent being? I _had_ to figure out who he was, then! What did _my_ family ever do to him and the yellow speedster?

Was this why Dr. Wells kept us away from each other? Because the Flash could be a murderer? But - but how did they know he was the same speedster from the night my mother died?

Artemis, are you flipping _stupid_? How often would you come across a demon like him? He _has_ to be the same speedster from that dreadful night, regardless of whether or not he's renowned for saving people from metahumans _now_. And the other speedster - the yellow one - is probably here too, then.

They're working together, I realized with a shudder. This city was worshipping a murderer...

My own _friends_ were fooled into believing that the Flash was a hero...

"I wouldn't know of that, Ms. Van Kleiss," Dr. Wells answered calmly, "But I'm trying to keep you out of that kind of danger before I find your blood on my hands."

* * *

**[Dr. Wells's POV]**

A hand through the heart.

That's all it would take to end her life.

A simple, quick, painless shot of my fingers into and back out of her chest, and she'd be dead.

"Oh, well, thank you again, Dr. Wells," Artemis greeted, worry shining through her eyes behind her glasses.

"Not at all. It was my pleasure to have you here," I replied with a smile, "Thank you again for the food. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow indeed."

The girl smiled at me, and I watched as she opened my front door, and left, closing the door behind her. I paused and waited to hear her drive off, before getting out of my wheelchair and standing up, stretching my legs.

God, how I hated siting in that thing. Even if it was making me more powerful by the hour, recharging my speed to make up for my time sitting, I passionately resented being handicapped.

I walked back over to my dining table, and finished up the rest of the Mediterranean beef stew.

 _"This tastes exactly how your mother used to make it!"_ I had told her, easing my way back into her respect.

It was pitiful - how easily she believed my lies and how quickly I had won my way back into her heart - by lying to her about my relationship with her parents.

Truthfully, I had never met or seen either of them - aside from the nights I had killed them, that is.

I was sick of the ruse, sick of having to wait for everything to happen on its own rather than forcing her and Barry into complying with what I had wanted, but I had to bide my time, or they both would upset the timeline and the future I knew might be erased.

Cisco and Caitlin were obedient and trusted me more than they trusted themselves.

Barry Allen looked up to me like a father.

I had all three of them in the palm of my hand, but Artemis?

Artemis would take time to work with. And I was afraid of what she would discover or learn in that time.

She was nothing more than a silly engineer, but she was poised, and she was intelligent. And even though she had a horrible temper and was the worst liar I had ever seen - babysitting your neighbor's son? Please - there was no way of knowing when she would flare up.

And she was onto me. She suspected me of something, though she didn't know what. And I had to be cautious of that.

Of course, there was no way she knew my real secret, but if she continued, soon she would find out, and seek to destroy me.

Cisco, Caitlin and Barry had taken a strong liking to her - despite my warnings. She had come into their lives and quickly befriended them, winning their trust faster than Barry ever did.

I should have known better than to foolishly warn them of something so absurd - she's _conniving, manipulative, deceitful_.

She showed up at STAR Labs sweet, well-mannered, and kind, eager to begin working.

The three of them could _never_ have believed what I had told them about her, what with how easygoing and friendly Artemis was with them, how compatible she was proving herself to be at STAR Labs.

But one day, this girl would become so much more than a scientist, and she would pose a threat to us that not even the Flash, or myself, could overcome.

See, there is so little information about her, in the time period where I came from. She was a mystery - a very powerful one, nonetheless.

I had tried to kill her parents, after years of sending them useless threats, so they wouldn't discover how vankleissium worked. When Barry stopped me, I tried to ruin her life the same way I had ruined his - by killing her beloved mother, hoping it would keep her from science. Somehow, her father's foolish lawyer found her and set her back on track, and I knew now I had to stop her.

The best I could do was bring her here, where I could easily keep an eye on her. And it was true - for now, she was as harmless as the child she had saved from SilverShock the other day.

But I was more afraid of her quick-thinking. Within a week of working at my lab, she had figured out we were allied with the Flash. What's worse - she had already figured out Barry was the Flash, and it was thanks to _his_ smooth denial that she finally believed he wasn't.

How long would it take her to figure out I was the man who had killed her parents? She already seemed to suspect that there was more than one speedster in this city.

Of course - I could always kill her myself if it came to that. How I wish she had taken a sip of the poisoned wine I offered her, or eaten some of the food she had brought, so I could put an end to this stress right then and there, having laced the wine with X7, a deadly poison that dissolved in the system after killing the victim, not leaving a trace.

I should have known that the girl didn't drink...

I should have killed her _now_ , when she came to me with an apology, and easily destroyed her body, ending my misery in mere moments.

There was so much about her I didn't know, and she was proving herself to be rather dangerous. By now, I was certain she'd foil my plans. From the research I had done on her back in my time, I had known she would indeed figure out how to disarm metahumans permanently, but there was no evidence suggesting her methods would work on speedsters, including myself and Barry Allen.

But I wanted her dead. And I wanted to be the one to assure her demise, before things could continue spiraling out of control with her.

If she had been anything like Barry, I could tolerate her. Even though Barry too was destined to stop me, Barry was trusting, Barry was obedient, Barry was predictable.

Artemis shared a few of those qualities - she too was kind, easygoing and composed, but I had pushed her into hating me. Now, because of my own foolishness, she trusted only a few - Cisco, Caitlin, Barry, and Iris.

She despised me, spoke out against me, and mistrusted me and until that changed, she would always be a risk to my ulterior motives.

Now, however, she was trying to win me back, and vice versa, I thought with a chuckle.

The hidden security cameras I had installed at her home showed me every last detail of her dinner last night, with Caitlin, Cisco and Barry. The trio urged her to calm down, and listen to me, be kind and obedient so as to win my trust, and they themselves promised to try and convince me to let her join Team Flash.

How strangely the tables have turned. We went from being on good terms with each other when we first met - to almost immediately ruining that when I had kicked her out of the lab.

And now, we were both trying to fix things again.

And in the future, she would hate me almost, if not more, than the Flash would - she would be more powerful than the both of us combined - and I would continue to hate her as well.

I feared her now more than I would ever fear Barry Allen. If you were to compare the two - when Barry wasn't the Flash, to be clear - she was his better in every way, and would have made a much better Flash. She was smarter than him, stronger than him, more agile and fit as she was. She would have been the perfect Flash.

It took Barry several months of training and exploring his new abilities to become comfortable in his new role. Artemis Van Kleiss would have reveled in her new powers, and it was that that made me glad I had chosen him over her. Barry was gentle, cautious, and careful whereas she was quick, rebellious and uncontrollable. Barry still feared his own abilities, relied on me to teach him. Artemis, on the other hand, would have been unstoppable.

I would let her live, for now, I concluded, and let her play her little experiments on the vankleissium and the ecfranite particle. For some reason, the element didn't exist in the future, so I had no way of figuring out how to use it myself.

When she would figure out how to strip metahumans of their metahuman gene, then I'd get rid of her.

Permanently.


End file.
